History-Seeking Ohio State Surging in Patrick Stevens' Top 20

Ohio State is halfway to a college lacrosse first.

The Buckeyes beat Virginia last month, and then picked up a 10-9 victory at Notre Dame on Saturday. Among Ohio State’s notable games still to come are a trip to Denver on Sunday and an April 12 visit from Maryland.

What do all of those opponents have in common? They reached the NCAA semifinals last season.

And guess what’s never happened before? A team defeating all four of the previous year’s NCAA semifinalists in a season.

In the present day, it’s difficult because there are enough Division I teams — and they’re spread out enough geographically — that it’s difficult to get all four teams from the previous Memorial Day weekend onto a schedule.

Plus, the teams best equipped to defeat programs that go deep into the postseason are usually the ones that did so themselves. To upend all four semifinalists takes a team that didn’t actually get that far last year.

The Buckeyes weren’t even in the tournament last season, going 6-9 while playing stingy defense and scraping together goals when they could. This team is a bit more potent but still has been exquisite defensively outside of its opening loss to Utah, and it has already surpassed its victory total from last season thanks to a seven-game winning streak.

But it’s still early, and Ohio State undoubtedly has better things to concern itself with than a historical quirk. But it’s still something that’s never been done, and worth keeping an eye on as the surging Buckeyes head into the back half of the season.

The below Top 20 is Patrick Stevens' contribution to the USA Lacrosse Top 20, which is released Monday mornings.

PATRICK STEVENS' TOP 20

1. Maryland (6-0)

There was no letdown for the Terrapins a week after outlasting Notre Dame. Maryland pounded Delaware 14-3 to improve to 6-0 for the third time in five years. Up next is a trip to Virginia. (Last week: 1)

2. Princeton (4-1)

Ryan Croddick’s 24 saves helped the Tigers stretch their way past Garden State rival Rutgers 11-5. Taking a 4-1 mark into Ivy play, especially with having faced three Big Ten schools and two ACC programs, is an impressive feat even if Princeton isn’t quite as consistent on offense as it would like to be — yet. (LW: 3)

3. Penn State (5-1)

Maybe this qualifies as a slight overreaction. But winning 13-12 in overtime at Cornell is something that could resonate in May. Hunter Aquino’s goal and four assists — including the feed on Ethan Long’s winner in extra time — was a strong outing on the road for a freshman. (LW: 9)

4. North Carolina (5-1)

The story of the Tar Heels’ season wasn’t written Saturday, and that’s OK. They handled Hofstra 18-7, inching closer to the start of ACC play. (LW: 5)

5. Cornell (4-1)

A single loss in overtime to Penn State — which was justly rewarded in this exercise for its victory in Ithaca — doesn’t warrant a plummet. A fascinating Ivy opener against Princeton at home awaits on Saturday. (LW: 4)