Middlebury Back In, Trap Games Shake USA Lacrosse D-III Men's Top 20

Just one look at the schedule last week made it clear that a tumultuous ride for the USA Lacrosse Division III Men’s Top 20 was coming.

And while many of the heavyweights near the top came away victorious, there was a bevy of upsets that shook the rest of Top 20. Trap weekend? Trap weekend.

Christopher Newport started things off by suffering a midweek defeat to Williams, 18-12. The loss drops the Captains out of the top 10 for now, even though they did get back to their winning ways with a victory over Montclair State. CNU has not won, or lost, two games in a row since back-to-back wins against Ohio Wesleyan and Grove City nearly a month ago.

Babson has moved up the rankings in recent weeks and added another impressive win to the resume by defeating Bowdoin 13-6 last Tuesday. The Beavers have two losses this year by a combined two goals, both against ranked opponents, and they have now won seven straight.

The NESCAC, as it seems to do quite frequently of late, had an up-and-down week. Highs include the aforementioned win for Williams over CNU, as well as Middlebury returning to the Top 20 with a convincing win over Wesleyan. Tufts continued to roll and shook off a rough start against a feisty Colby team to win their third straight. On the downside, Amherst fell to Lynchburg, and Bowdoin lost to Babson.

Union had a rough week, losing a one-sided game to Tufts and then losing again over the weekend against St. Lawrence. The Liberty League is a juggernaut this year. The top three teams in the league (RPI, St. Lawrence, RIT), have combined to lose just one game. Skidmore and Union are right behind them. There might not be a more competitive conference in Division III this year. 

Hampden-Sydney had a big opportunity to get back into the Top 20 with a trip to Washington and Lee but came up just short in OT. The ODAC is up for grabs, and Washington and Lee, Hampden-Sydney, Roanoke and Lynchburg all look like they want a crack at the conference championship. 

April is here, which means we are well past the midway point. Teams don't have much time to turn things around and the pressure will continue to mount on the squads that are emerging as NCAA title contenders.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION III
MEN’S TOP 20

1. Salisbury, 10-0 (Prev: 1)
2. RPI, 11-0 (Prev: 2)
3. St. Lawrence, 10-0 (Prev: 3)
4. RIT, 10-1 (Prev: 4)
5. Tufts, 7-1 (Prev: 5)
6. Dickinson, 9-1 (Prev: 8)
7. Swarthmore, 8-1 (Prev: 12)
8. Gettysburg, 5-3 (Prev: 13)
9. Babson, 8-2 (Prev: 16)
10. Union, 7-2 (Prev: 7)
11. Christopher Newport, 8-3 (Prev: 6)
12. Washington and Lee, 7-3 (Prev: 14)
13. Lynchburg, 5-4 (Prev: 15)
14. Bowdoin, 6-2 (Prev: 9)
15. Williams, 5-3 (Prev: 17)
16. Amherst, 5-2 (Prev: 10)
17. Endicott, 8-1 (Prev: 19)
18. Middlebury, 5-4 (Prev: NR)
19. Wesleyan, 6-2 (Prev: 11)
20. Stevens, 8-2 (Prev: 20)

Also considered (alphabetical order): Cabrini, Grove City, Hampden-Sydney, Roanoke, Skidmore

HOT

Babson (+7)

The Beavers played eight games in March. They went 7-1, punctuated with wins over Bowdoin and Wheaton. The 13-6 win against Bowdoin was certainly enough to convince any remaining doubters that Babson is for real.

The Beavers are led by Jared Rainville on offense, but they really get the goals from all over. The 13 goals against Bowdoin came from nine players, and nobody had more than two. An offense that can run that deep is difficult to stop. Alex Fascilla has been locked in over the last three games, posting 46 saves in that stretch with a save percentage of just under 69 percent. He’s now rocking a 62-percent save rate and has been under the 56-percent mark just once since the calendar flipped to March.

NOT

Union (-3)

It’s been a tough week for Union. It dropped a pair of road games, though both losses came against opponents ranked in the top five. On Tuesday, Union took on Tufts and struck first, just over 30 seconds into the game. Unfortunately, the Jumbos scored the game’s next 16 goals, leading to an ugly 24-5 defeat. (Side note: Maybe don't score first against the Jumbos? Seems like they hate it.)

Then, over the weekend, the Flying Dutchmen fell 12-6 to St. Lawrence. Once again, Union allowed a big run, as St. Lawrence scored seven unanswered through the third and fourth quarters to take a sizable lead. Beating the teams at the top of the ranks requires top-level play for a full 60 minutes, and Union struggled to put together complete games.

IN

Middlebury (No. 18)

The Panthers started the year slow, ultimately falling out of the Top 20 with a disappointing run of losses. Back then, we said they would need a big-time win against a ranked opponent to get back into the ranks. This week, they got it.

The Panthers traveled to Middletown and beat Wesleyan 15-8. They held Justin Hazard to no points and CK Giancola to no goals on nine shots. Patrick Jamin and Logan White had four assists each, and the Panthers got goals from nine different scorers. If not for a late charge from Wesleyan when the game was all but decided, this line would be even more eye-popping; the Panthers held a 14-5 lead with under five minutes to play.

OUT

Hamilton (was No. 18)

Hamilton fell to Bowdoin at home this weekend, snapping a three-game winning streak and dropping them out of the Top 20. The win against Lynchburg is good, but Hamilton will need to go on a run in NESCAC play to climb back into the Top 20 at this point. Hamilton has a mid-week date with Middlebury, which could be the ticket it needs to get back into the show, but for now, security has refused re-entry into the Top 20.