Rollins' Potent Offense Sparks Change in Nike/USA Lacrosse Division II Men's Top 20
The postseason dominoes have been tipped, and all Division II nation can do is either watch or celebrate. Two titans clashed in the NE-10, Florida continues to be the land of upsets and the SAC held its own gladiatorial battles.
Le Moyne’s one-goal triumph over NE-10 rival Adelphi was the grittiest win of the year for the top-ranked Dolphins. They got out to an absolutely horrendous start, spotting Adelphi a five-goal lead in the first quarter. Failed clears and turnovers were an early issue, but they were able to clean up their play between the lines and on defense, and the Dolphins cut the deficit to 6-4 at halftime. A three-goal run in the second stretched into the third and fourth, ultimately ending at a 9-1 run that put Le Moyne in front 10-7.
Late goals by Joseph Duchnowski and Brian Harinksi brought Adelphi within one with five minutes to play. Both defenses buckled down, forcing shot clock violations on both ends, before a costly Adelphi turnover let Le Moyne run down even more clock, taking the timer down to just 12 seconds. A final turnover from Adelphi left the Panthers one goal short of a win. Adelphi has suddenly lost two in a row and has one regular season game left against Southern New Hampshire to get back to its winning ways before the postseason, while Le Moyne remains the lone undefeated team in Division II.
Florida Southern notched win No. 13, the most it’s ever had in a season, as it took down Tampa in the Sunshine State Conference semifinals, 12-10. The Mocs didn’t hold a lead in this game until early in the fourth quarter when Jacob Czyz put them up 9-8. It was a game in which Tampa won most statistical categories but came up short on goals. The Spartans had fewer turnovers, won more faceoffs, more ground balls and more shots. The equalizer may have been the weather, as the game was played in driving rain, and there was a suspension of play in the third quarter, which can disrupt team rhythm. Florida Southern outscored Tampa 4-2 after the suspension of play, earning a spot in the SSC finals against Rollins.
Rollins would end the celebrations on Sunday, though, as the Tars rode their hot offense to the Sunshine State championship. The game featured a trio of hat-trick heroes for the Tars in Mikey Berkman, Grant Hansen and Justin White. A six-goal second quarter opened the game for Coach Lewis’ squad, and they never really looked back. Rollins is a team that thrives on how well it can string together a run. Very few teams take as much pleasure in how they absolutely bury teams with their offensive firepower as Rollins does. It’s not a bad thing; it’s an identity that has brought them to this point and will carry them into the NCAA tournament.
The win brings Rollins to 7-0 in the conference and 15-1 overall. The Sunshine State tournament finals did not feature Tampa winning, let alone playing, for the first time since 2014, a sign of just how competitive Division II lacrosse has become in the peninsula. The lacrosse revolution was not televised; it was streamed from a sweaty sideline in Florida.
NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION II MEN’S TOP 20
|
|
May 1, 2023 |
W/L |
Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Le Moyne |
14-0 |
1 |
|
2 |
Rollins |
15-1 |
3 |
|
3 |
Adelphi |
15-2 |
4 |
|
4 |
Mercyhurst |
12-2 |
5 |
|
5 |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
14-2 |
6 |
|
6 |
Wingate |
12-2 |
2 |
|
7 |
UIndy |
11-2 |
8 |
|
8 |
Mercy |
12-3 |
9 |
|
9 |
Limestone |
13-4 |
12 |
|
10 |
Florida Southern |
13-5 |
16 |
|
11 |
Tampa |
13-3 |
7 |
|
12 |
Saint Anselm |
9-3 |
13 |
|
13 |
Bentley |
9-4 |
10 |
|
14 |
Colorado Mesa |
14-2 |
11 |
|
15 |
Seton Hill |
11-4 |
15 |
|
16 |
Pace |
11-4 |
14 |
|
17 |
Newberry |
11-5 |
17 |
|
18 |
Barton |
11-7 |
NR |
|
19 |
Anderson |
12-6 |
19 |
|
20 |
Belmont Abbey |
10-4 |
18 |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Chestnut Hill (8-4), Frostburg State (10-4), Georgian Court (11-5)
UPCOMING GAMES
No. 1 Le Moyne 5/3 vs. No. 12 Saint Anselm (NE10 SF)
No. 2 Rollins Regular season complete
No. 3 Adelphi 5/3 vs. No. 13 Bentley (NE10 SF)
No. 4 Mercyhurst 5/3 vs. Lake Erie (GMAC SF)
No. 5 Lenoir-Rhyne 5/1 vs. No. 9 Limestone (SAC final)
No. 6 Wingate Regular season complete
No. 7 UIndy 5/5 vs. Lewis (GLVC SF)
No. 8 Mercy 5/3 vs. Molloy (ECC SF)
No. 9 Limestone 5/1 vs. No. 5 Lenoir-Rhyne (SAC final)
No. 10 Florida Southern Regular season complete
No. 11 Tampa Regular season complete
No. 12 Saint Anselm 5/3 vs. No. 1 Le Moyne (NE10 SF)
No. 13 Bentley 5/3 vs. No. 3 Adelphi (NE10SF)
No. 14 Colorado Mesa 5/4 vs. Adams State (RMAC SF)
No. 15 Seton Hill 5/3 vs. Walsh (GMAC SF)
No. 16 Pace Regular season complete
No. 17 Newberry Regular season complete
No. 18 Barton Regular season complete
No. 19 Anderson Regular season complete
No. 20 Belmont Abbey Regular season complete
Nike/USA Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Le Moyne (no change)
This Le Moyne team isn’t like teams from the past. Yes, they are winning, but this pod of Dolphins has found a way to win ugly by controlling the intangibles. Everyone cites ground balls as a differentiating factor, and yes wining that stat is important, but the one thing Le Moyne does better than anyone else is stack up shot clock resets. It’s honestly uncanny and makes a strong case for the time of possession stat to make its official debut on stat sheets across the country.
NOT
Belmont Abbey (-2)
Conference Carolinas looked to be there for the taking for Belmont Abbey. Undefeated in conference play, Abbey took on Barton in the semifinals, which it had already beaten this year in a close contest. Belmont Abbey managed just 27 shots on the day, had 18 turnovers and couldn’t turn a 13-6 advantage facing off into a ground ball edge, as GBs finished 20 per team. They also fouled eight times, six of those in the second half. Belmont Abbey has some time to refocus and put this poor performance behind them before they play Limestone on May 5.
IN
Barton (No. 18)
Barton is heating up at the right time. They followed up a mid-week upset of Belmont Abbey with a one-goal win over North Greenville in the Conference Carolinas championship game, securing the crown. Matt Calleri had seven points in those two games, bringing his total to 50 on the season. The offense is senior heavy, led by Calleri, Mason Chaney and Mark Crawford. Barton took on Rollins back in March and played the Tars to a one-goal game. They have the ability to hang with teams, and if you look past them, they’ll punish you.
OUT
Georgian Court (was No. 20)
Georgian Court extended its win streak to eight games, but outside of a game against Chestnut Hill, Georgian Court hasn’t been challenged much lately. The drop makes room for Barton, which enters the poll off two strong wins and a conference championship. Georgian Court is still the class of the CACC and has a bye into the tournament semifinals. For now, all signs point to a rematch with Chestnut Hill in the finals, and a win would be another statement for the Lions.
PREVIOUS RANKINGS
Dan Arestia and Kyle Devitte
Dan Arestia and Kyle Devitte cover Division II and III men's lacrosse for USA Lacrosse Magazine.
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