Sunshine State Scores Shake USA Lacrosse D-II Men's Top 20

Despite some raging snowstorms throughout the Northeast, Division II action was heated this past weekend — especially down in the Sunshine State. Upsets, consolidations of power and rivalries exploded into a sweaty stew of results that impacted the USA Lacrosse Division II Men’s Top 20.

Saint Leo fell to Florida Tech in a game that saw the Lions mount a late, yet failed, comeback in the fourth quarter. The Panthers were just too much to handle and pulled off the upset despite having a record of 3-5 this season.

Elsewhere, Florida Southern wrestled the entire Sailfish squad into their boat with a commanding 18-7 victory. Jacob Czyz went 24-for-27 on faceoffs and picked up 18 ground balls to pace the Mocs.  

The big result for Floridian fans came Saturday night when Tampa defeated rival Rollins 16-11. The Spartans ran a balanced attack punctuated with fast-break goals to control the action. Two three-goal runs in the second quarter really allowed Tampa to get the upper hand and squash any real hopes of a comeback, despite the Tars throwing everything they had at their opponent in the third quarter.  

The other late result from Saturday was Lenoir-Rhyne’s 12-7 win over Wingate. The Bears didn't exactly maul the Bulldogs so much as they protected their den with the ferocity of their namesake. It was a special teams clinic led by netminder Rob Pensabene’s 14-save effort combined with draw man Matt Mancini’s 83-percent win rate at the dot.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION II
MEN’S TOP 20

1. Limestone, 11-0 (Prev: 1)
2. Lenoir-Rhyne, 8-1 (Prev: 2)
3. Tampa, 8-1 (Prev: 3)
4. UIndy, 8-2 (Prev: 5)
5. Adelphi, 5-2 (Prev: 8)
6. Mercy, 7-1 (Prev: 9)
7. Rollins, 6-2 (Prev: 6)
8. Wingate, 6-3 (Prev: 4)
9. Newberry, 7-2 (Prev: 7)
10. Saint Anselm, 3-1 (Prev: 10)
11. Pace, 6-0 (Prev: 12)
12. Florida Southern, 7-2 (Prev: 14)
13. Seton Hill, 5-2 (Prev: 17)
14. Mercyhurst, 5-3 (Prev: 15)
15. Bentley, 2-2 (Prev: 11)
16. Frostburg State, 6-2 (Prev: 18)
17. Saint Leo, 6-2 (Prev: 13)
18. Colorado Mesa, 5-3 (Prev: NR)
19. Maryville, 7-2 (Prev: 20)
20. Belmont Abbey, 5-5 (Prev: NR)

Also considered (alphabetical order): Davenport, Florida Tech, Lander, Lewis, Rockhurst, Westminster

HOT

Florida Southern (+2)

Perhaps we were too early in writing off the Mocs as a part of the growing base of power teams in the peninsula. Florida Southern has bounced all the way back after suffering two losses in a row to Montevallo (19-18) and Limestone (19-7) back in February. The Mocs are in the midst of a six-game win streak, with victories over Belmont Abbey (19-10), Lander (15-10), Colorado Mesa (13-12), and — this past weekend — Palm Beach Atlantic (18-7).

You know when the Mocs come to town there will be goals, but those goals will come from all over the field, as the team has five players with 20 points or more. The real test comes on Wednesday when they head to Tampa in an attempt to cause some midweek mayhem.  

NOT

Saint Leo (-4)

The Lions fell to fellow Floridian feline Florida Tech on Saturday in a game that will go down as one of the more impressive upsets of the season so far. Three man-up goals ended up being the difference for the Panthers. Two of those tallies came in the fourth quarter when the game was still up for grabs and extended Florida Tech’s lead to 10-6.

It was all uphill for the Lions after that, as they managed to claw back two goals — one in the extra man from Matt Cleary and the second from Aidan Knoetgen. Saint Leo has a week to prep for its next game, a trip to Boca to face Sunshine State Conference member Lynn.

IN

Colorado Mesa (No. 18)

In beating Westminster, which was ranked No. 19 last week, Colorado Mesa effectively gets to swap Top 20 honors with its opponent. Braden Lowe fed Dillon Pless with eight seconds left in OT to lift the Mavericks over Westminster in the RMAC opener.

Belmont Abbey (No. 20)

Belmont Abbey had a tough start to the season. After an opening victory against Mars Hill, Belmont Abbey lost five straight during a grueling stretch that included Lenoir-Rhyne, Newberry, Tampa and Florida Southern. But Abbey has bounced back in a big way. This week, it notched a fourth straight victory, taking down a ranked opponent by beating Lander 14-10. Jeremy Mahoney has been the key weapon for Belmont Abbey, though Tre Childers’ four goals stole the show. Angus Snow made 19 saves.

OUT

Lander (was No. 16)

Lander loses its spot in the Top 20 after falling to Belmont Abbey. The Bearcats are 1-2 in the past two weeks, which is never a good formula for hanging on to the fringes of the Top 20.

Westminster (was No. 19)

It was a battle from start to finish, but Westminster fell in OT to fellow RMAC contender Colorado Mesa. Tate Craig scored three times in the game’s final quarter to tie it and send Westminster to OT, but a failed clear led to a Mesa goal by Dillon Pless. Westminster falls out of the Top 20, making way for the team that beat it.