Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. The events of Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas (Fla.) High School have generated their share of horror stories, but alum Blake Israel gained solace in lacrosse and then lifted his current team to its historic first win.
Israel, an attackman at NCAA Division II Palm Beach Atlantic, found himself supported by his current teammates on a day-of bus trip to Pensacola, Fla., then inspired by the memories of the 17 victims before overtime began against Montevallo two days later. Already having scored twice, Israel completed the hat trick to give the Sailfish a 10-9 victory.
“I’m going to score this last goal,” Israel told himself after regulation. “I’m going to do it for Stoneman Douglas.”
2. In a rematch yesterday of a 2017 NCAA semifinal that pitted first-time participants, Sam Apuzzo set a school record by scoring nine goals to lead No. 6 Boston College to a 20-14 win over No. 10 Navy in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Apuzzo only missed two of her 11 shots on goal, and she added an assist and four draw controls. Apuzzo leads the nation with 30 goals in six wins without a loss for the Eagles. Her performance overshadowed a five-goal outburst by Midshipman Jenna Collins.
Elsewhere, No. 12 Princeton jumped out to an 8-0 lead (thanks in part to four goals by freshman Kayla Sears) at Lehigh before holding off a Mountain Hawk rally and pulling away late for an 18-12 victory. Elizabeth George scored three goals and dished out three assists for the Tigers, which allowed the hosts to close within 14-11 midway through the second half. Olivia Kelly bookended halftime with three of her team-high four goals to fuel Lehigh's comeback attempt.
NCAA Division I Women Tuesday Scoreboard
No. 6 Boston College 20, No. 10 Navy 14
No. 12 Princeton 18, Lehigh 12
Louisville 17, Vanderbilt 15
Fresno State 19, St. Bonaventure 7
3. On the men's side, No. 6 Villanova got the first and last runs to avoid an upset against Philadelphia-area rival Drexel, 12-9.
Colin Crowley scored twice and assisted on a third Wildcat goal to help Villanova to a 5-1 lead with 10:25 left in the second quarter. Twenty seconds later, the Dragons began firing back, as Reid Bowering scored before Marshal King notched three straight to forge a 5-5 tie at halftime. Three goals by three players in 42 seconds put Drexel ahead, 8-6, in the third. But two goals apiece from Keegan Khan and Devin McNamara highlighted Villanova's 5-0 fourth quarter for the win.
Elsewhere, Ben Reeves, who's featured in the March issue of US Lacrosse Magazine, scored four goals and added three assists to lead No. 9 Yale to a 13-10 win at UMass.
The Bulldogs cruised for the majority of the game, solving two Minutemen goalies in the first half for an 8-2 lead. Reeves, a Tewaaraton Award finalist and an All-American last season, had his second seven-point outing of this season for the 2-1 Bulldogs. Jackson Morrill handed out five assists for Yale, which commanded a 13-4 lead until the hosts scored six straight beginning with about six minutes left in the contest. Bulldog freshman goalie Jack Starr made 15 saves.
NCAA Division I Men Tuesday Scoreboard
No. 6 Villanova 12, Drexel 7
No. 9 Yale 13, UMass 10
No. 16 Georgetown 16, Mount St. Mary's 6
Boston University 8, Bryan 7 (ot)
Hartford 16, Fairfield 11
Hofstra 14, Stony Brook 2
4. This week's college women's notebook leads with an interesting look at how North Carolina coach Jenny Levy built the program into a national champion from its 1995 inception.
Levy drew inspiration from two 1990s powerhouses, Maryland and Loyola, each of which coached by National Lacrosse Hall of Famers in Cindy Timchal and the late Diane Aikens, respectively. The notebook also recaps the week that was and previews the week to come.
5. High school action has begun in some areas, as have the in-season Nike/US Lacrosse South Top 10 ranking reports for boys and for girls.
The top four boys' teams thus far have validated their preseason positions, remaining undefeated through early games. Ponte Vedra (Fla.) senior goalie Wyatt Schupler made 41 saves and yielded just 15 goals in four games to earn Brine/US Lacrosse Player of the Week honors. He made 14 saves in an 11-10 win over IMG Academy (Fla.) to keep the Sharks unblemished at 4-0.
Alison Mills of No. 6 Lassiter (Ga.) is the Brine/US Lacrosse Player of the Week on the girls' side, having scored 13 goals in the Trojans' 3-1 swing through Florida. Lassiter, 5-1, enjoyed the largest jump from the preseason Top 10. Hutchison (Tenn.) remains No. 1.