NESCAC's Kickoff, Ranked Upsets Mix Up D-III Men's Top 20

It’s finally March, which means the NESCAC has finally kicked off the Division III season in the Northeast. But the luster of the Little Ivies' opening weekend was burgled by a series of Top 20 tilts that outshined the NESCAC.

Salisbury flexed their muscles against Lynchburg, grabbing control from the opening whistle. The Gulls dominated the first 20 minutes and led 8-1 with just over 10 minutes left in the second quarter. Lynchburg managed a three-goal run heading into the half to get within four, but out of halftime, Salisbury wrestled control and pinned the Hornets. The Gulls scored six goals in six minutes, with Brice Bromwell scoring or assisting on four of them, to go up 14-4. 

Lynchburg briefly kicked out of the three count with five goals, but the Salisbury firepower just ran too deep, as the Gulls won 18-13. Preseason Player of the Year John DeFazio kept things going Salisbury’s way with seven ground balls, leading both teams and bringing his season total to 22.

It appears nobody told Gettysburg it’s rebuilding. The Bullets are racking up impressive performances and results each week. After losing to Salisbury in dramatic fashion by just one goal a week ago, Gettysburg thoroughly beat down Stevenson Saturday evening. Charlie Johnson had a whopping seven goals, while Jackson Hearn and Jack Dunleavy had four and three points, respectively. Freshman faceoff specialist Cisco Celotto has been a major part of the Bullets’ success; he went 67 percent against Stevenson this week, following up a 12-for-21 day against Salisbury. 

Stevenson now falls to 3-2, and its best result is a close loss to Christopher Newport. The schedule doesn’t get any easier, as the Mustangs’ next four games are all ranked opponents (Dickinson, Lynchburg, St. Lawrence and Salisbury).

York seems to only play close games. In week one, the Spartans beat St. Mary’s by two. The next week, they lost to Washington and Lee by two. Last week, it was a one-goal win in a rock fight against Franklin & Marshall. This week, a three-goal loss to RIT (even if the goal to make it three was at the buzzer). Freshman Nate Schilling had a breakout game for York, scoring four goals. But once again, RIT turned on the pressure with its depth and relentlessness. The Tigeres won 15-12, and nobody had more than three goals. In fact, only Seth Grottenthaler had a hat trick. The other 12 goals came from the sticks of nine different players. The Tigers aren’t just starting to gel — they’re hunting wins as a pack.

In the battle of ranked NESCACs, it was a pack of purple pachyderms that put up a peak performance. Don’t let the final goal tally fool you, as it was the defense that stole the show for Amherst in its 16-7 upset of Middlebury. After a back-and-forth first half, Amherst put the clamps on the Panthers from the halftime whistle onward. The Mammoths went on an 8-0 run, holding Middlebury scoreless for a 25-minute stretch that spanned the entire third quarter and most of the fourth. That lockjaw defense allowed Amherst to take a whopping 30 more shots than the Panthers, outshooting them 53-23. The Amherst netminders, Brooks Catlin and Mitch Likins, only needed to make five saves combined in this one.

Sunday saw a huge upset, as Denison used a dominant defensive fourth quarter to shut down Washington and Lee 14-12. The Big Red were stellar in the final frame, holding the Generals scoreless for the final nine minutes. Netminder Andrew Albert out-dueled his counterpart, making 11 saves in the win. The win vaults Denison into the No. 15 spot, while W&L crashes seven spots. 

USA LACROSSE DIVISION III 
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