Flagler Upsets Rollins, Earns First-Ever Spot in USA Lacrosse Top 20

The crown jewel of the weekend in Division II men’s lacrosse (as in, it was played at The Crown Lacrosse Classic in Charlotte, N.C.) was No. 3 Lenoir-Rhyne taking on No. 5 Wingate. 

It was a top-five matchup that delivered in every way, as the Bears claimed a 9-6 victory. While the score was low, the heroics were bountiful. Donovan Powell hammered in six goals, bringing him to 14 on the season. Those six goals were the difference in a win that kept the Bears undefeated. Wingate had six individual scorers, but only one of them was assisted, a testament to the defense played by Lenoir-Rhyne. Wingate netminder Quad Williams kept the game within reach, notching 18 saves and stopping 67 percent of the shots he faced.

No. 2 Tampa also played at The Crown Lacrosse Classic, putting its undefeated record on the line in a top-10 matchup against Seton Hill. The Spartans took advantage of early mistakes, getting out to a 4-1 first-quarter lead with two goals coming in man-up situations. 

Tampa’s defense held Seton Hill to just one goal in the second quarter, making the Spartan’s 9-3 halftime lead feel insurmountable. Connor Theriault, the people’s goalie and graduate transfer from Brown, was a brick wall for Tampa with 16 saves. The Griffins outshot Tampa 41-36, but Theriault was the difference.

Keeping the top five lossless, top-ranked Adelphi won 15-7 against a plucky Mercy team, sending a message to all of Division II that there won’t be much drop off on the offensive end despite losing scoring talent to graduation. Sophomore Braden Donnellan is a major reason why the Panthers had such a comfortable win with four goals and four assists on nine shots to lead all scorers. Mercy committed 17 turnovers and failed five clears — something that you cannot do against a counterattacking team like Adelphi.

Flagler’s historic 13-6 victory over Rollins was the upset of the week. Flagler only has one loss so far this season, and it was to a stacked Tampa squad during the first week of the season. The Saints are now 5-1 and have entered the Top 20 for the first time in program history. (Flagler is a post-COVID team that played its first full season in Division II in 2022.) The Saints have increased their win total from three in 2022 to seven in both 2023 and 2024 — and are now on pace to have their best season so far.

Saint Anselm was the last member of the NE-10 to make its season debut, and it was memorable for new head coach Drew Bourdeau. He registered his first-ever collegiate coaching victory with an 11-7 win over Frostburg State. When you combine that with Bentley’s huge win over Mercy last weekend, Pace’s 2-0 hot start and St. Michael’s going 3-0 as well, you have the recipe for another pressure cooker of delicious lacrosse action in the NE-10. 

USA LACROSSE DIVISION II 
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