Professional PLL
06:00 PM
Jul 19
Phi
Den
Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. Sunday’s Division I men’s slate delivered quality, if not quantity. No. 13 Syracuse rallied from a four-goal fourth quarter deficit to edge No. 4 Duke in overtime, 9-8, in a game moved to a local high school per scheduling conflicts with the Carrier Dome.
Saturday’s full schedule provided its share of drama and heroics. No. 5 Ohio State, playing after an unscheduled bye week due to the weather-induced cancellation of its March 16 home game vs. Denver, likewise rallied for an overtime win, besting No. 10 Notre Dame, 11-10. The Buckeyes remain the nation’s last unbeaten team at 6-0. Unranked Penn produced the upset of the day, stunning No. 6 Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y., 16-15 on an Adam Goldner goal with 18 seconds left.
The No. 7 Pioneers put the rest to good use from a personnel standpoint, knocking off No. 8 Towson on the road, 7-6, in a somewhat sloppy game at Minnegan Field. No. 12 Virginia made halftime adjustments in its 16-11 win at No. 17 Johns Hopkins.
If you missed Friday because of a certain basketball tournament, fear not: No. 2 Penn State has revved up for the rest of the season and Lehigh has rallied from an injury-riddled start, among other notes.
2. The No. 4 Syracuse women had their own flair for drama yesterday, rallying from an 8-5 halftime to send No. 7 Notre Dame tumbling from the ranks of the unbeaten, 10-9. Emily Hawryschuk scored the game-tying and game-winning goals in a 50-second spurt late in the second half for the Orange, likewise hosting the game at a local high school (Sunday wrap). Elsewhere, No. 2 Maryland had a surprisingly easy time against No. 6 James Madison, 18-5, behind a balanced scoring effort
Saturday, most eyes were on North Carolina’s new lacrosse stadium for the No. 3 Tar Heels' showdown vs. No. 1 Boston College, but the Eagles asserted themselves early and often in a 14-8 win. BC got got five goals and eight draw controls from Sam Apuzzo to lead the way. The Eagles took a 5-1 lead and never allowed North Carolina to get closer than two (Saturday wrap).
In the Ivy League, No. 11 Princeton, fresh off a come-from-behind win over No. 17 Florida, surrendered a 9-2 lead against unranked Brown and fell, 12-11. Risa Mosenthal fueled the upset of the day — and perhaps the season, given the Bears’ historical futility against the Tigers — with four goals for Brown, who clinched it when goalie Erin Tucker stopped a Kyle Sears (four goals) free-position shot with under a minute left. No. 5 Penn nearly got bit upset-minded Ivy rival Cornell but hung on, 11-10.
3. The expansion San Diego Seals have clinched a spot in the National Lacrosse League playoffs. In fact, they were first team in the West Division to do so. More on that, Buffalo’s big comeback win, and other jockeying for playoff positions in this week's NLL notebook.
4. From the March edition of US Lacrosse Magazine, a look at how the Lacrosse Athlete Development Model is helping Fort Hunt (Va.) Youth Lacrosse and a scan of the marketplace revealed these 10 cool accessories for lacrosse.
5. The Premier Lacrosse League will play its sixth week of games in our nation’s capital. Audi Field, the new, 20,000-seat home of Major League Soccer's D.C. United franchise, will host PLL games July 6-7.