Trinity, Babson Join the Ranks in D-III Men's Top 20

If you only check in on scores, you might see that Tufts is still undefeated and think, nothing to see here. Reader, that is not the case. 

Both Christopher Newport and Stevens jumped all over the Jumbos early, racing out to 5-0 leads. Tufts came back to beat Christopher Newport in overtime on a dramatic sequence, featuring a CNU shot going bar down, but not in, and then the Jumbos’ Max Ettinghausen scoring on the ensuing clear.

The Jumbos held Stevens to one goal the rest of the game after the early 5-0 deficit. While in past years, Tufts has played as if they were shot out of a cannon, racing out to fast starts, this year’s edition of the Jumbos looks ready and willing to play the long game, turning things on in the second half as needed.

The biggest game of the week was between RIT and RPI. The Tigers were without Clifford Gaston, their top attackman and leading scorer. Chase Bruno wasted no time picking up the slack, scoring the game’s first four goals. It was a slugfest, as the squads traded 5-0 runs in the second half. It was an impressive win for RIT, as the Tigers overcame a serious faceoff deficit and went without their top weapon against a top-five opponent. 

That loss to Tufts in the Callum Robinson Mustang Classic might have been good for them in the long run.

The NESCAC-on-NESCAC crime came to a head Sunday, as Amherst bested Bowdoin 12-8. The Mammoths used a stunning 5-0 third quarter to wrestle control of the game away from the Polar Bears’ clutches. Willie Doyle and Bob Gross combined for four of those five goals en route to the biggest win of Amherst’s season so far. The Mammoths are now 6-0 and are waiting for another shot at a top-five team. The wait will be a little long, as they take on Roanoke next Saturday and then Wesleyan on April 2. Bowdoin falls as a result of the loss but remains one of the teams to beat in the NESCAC.

Elsewhere, Cortland continues to climb. Two more wins this week, including a win over St. John Fisher that sends the Cardinals out of the Top 20. Gettysburg picked up a big win over Swarthmore, despite a semi-bizarre ending. The Bullets hit an empty netter to go up two with one second left. They violated on the ensuing faceoff. Refs had to clear the field because the game was not over — then Swarthmore pole Liam Halstead scored from the midfield line with no time left to get Swarthmore back within one. 

Trinity stayed hot with a NESCAC win over Williams, its first over Williams since 2012. The Bantams have now won four in a row and have earned their spot in the Top 20.

We’ve had some surprising jumps in and out of this Top 20, but that’s part of where we are in the season. Wins and losses are adding up for top teams — even the ones that got a late start. No more trading just based on name. Winning against ranked teams can only improve your station, and next week there, are a handful of games that could shake up the Top 20 even more.

Continue below to see the entire Top 20, which is compiled by USA Lacrosse Magazine staff and contributors.

USA LACROSSE DIVISION III 
MEN'S TOP 20