Professional PLL
06:00 PM
Jul 19
Phi
Den
Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. Albany’s Connor Fields and Stony Brook’s Kylie Ohlmiller are on pace to break the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s lacrosse single-season scoring records, respectively. Fields is chasing not only a legend, but also his former teammate. He has 53 points (30 goals, 23 assist) through seven games. Two-time Tewaaraton winner and former Great Danes attackman Lyle Thompson had 48 points at the same juncture of his record-setting 128-point campaign in 2014.
Ohlmiller, the reigning Epoch/US Lacrosse Player of the Week, has 65 points through nine games. Maryland legend Jen Adams had 44 points at the nine-game mark in 2001 en route to a 148-point finish.
2. The Chesapeake Bayhawks signed the aforementioned Thompson to a five-year extension that will keep one of the most exciting young players in pro lacrosse with the team through 2021 — which should put to rest any lingering notion that he would give up Major League Lacrosse. Chesapeake acquired Thompson from the Florida Launch earlier this month.
3. North Carolina defeated host Virginia Tech 14-6 on Tuesday in a matchup billed as a showdown for first place in ACC women’s lacrosse. The No. 2 Tar Heels scored six straight goals spanning the first and second halves to open up an 11-2 lead, snapping a five-game winning streak for the No. 17 Hokies.
4. Marquette scored three unanswered goals in the fourth quarter to defeat Air Force 7-6 in Milwaukee. Both teams have been in and out of the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Men’s Top 20, with the Golden Eagles currently ranked No. 19. Ryan McNamara scored his third goal of the game with 4:35 remaining to put Marquette ahead for good.
5. RIT, which had slipped to No. 10 in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Men's Top 20 with consecutive losses, trailed unranked Middlebury 10-9 at halftime before scoring an incredible 19 second-half goals en route to a 28-12 victory. The Tigers shot 28-for-60.
6. The McDonogh (Md.) boys’ and girls’ lacrosse teams both have proven worthy of their preseason No. 1 nods, withstanding early tests to remain atop the respective Nike/US Lacrosse High School National Top 25 rankings, which were released Tuesday morning. Among notable boys’ results later Tuesday, No. 18 Cold Spring Harbor (N.Y.) defeated No. 15 Syosset (N.Y.) 16-12, while No. 14 Culver Academy (Ind.) responded to its first loss of the season—a double-overtime defeat at Haverford School (Pa.) — with a convincing 13-6 win at No. 17 Gonzaga (D.C.). On the girls’ side, No. 17 Agnes Irwin (Pa.) upset No. 4 Good Counsel (Md.) 12-11.
What We're Reading
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Just four years into its existence, Richmond hosts Virginia on Saturday as the higher-ranked team.
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Brandon Montour, a rookie defenseman for the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks, might be better at lacrosse.
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Former UC Santa Barbara lacrosse player Aaron Loy, who had both of his legs amputated below the knee due to a meningitis outbreak on campus in 2014, has found a new sport — sled hockey.
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The Calgary Roughnecks raised Tracey Kelusky’s No. 17 jersey to the rafters at the Saddledome on Saturday. Kelusky talked about the emotional night with his hometown newspaper, the Peterborough Examiner.
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The Atlantic City (N.J.) area’s top high school boys’ lacrosse goalies say the physical toll of playing the sport's most demanding position is totally worth it.
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The MLL season is upon us. The Boston Cannons want to avoid another slow start after winding up on the wrong side of the playoff tiebreaker in 2016.
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Simsbury (Conn.) High School football and lacrosse player Danny Deitz received the NFHS’ National Spirit of Sport Award after coming back from a heart transplant.
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Syracuse thanked its fans on Twitter for making it “America’s watched team,” with nearly 24,000 fans turning out for the Orange’s five home games at the Carrier Dome.
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Two years after Penn State goalie Connor Darcey’s death, his brother, Teddy, is carrying on his legacy at Wellesley (Mass.).
What We're Watching
The Lacrosse Network put an entertaining spin on all the OT drama in its “Weekly Watch.”
What's On Tap
Actually, a nice little Wednesday with some marquee matchups across all levels of the sport.
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Harvard hosts Albany at 7 p.m. Eastern in what should be a high-scoring affair favoring Fields and company.
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At the same time, the No. 7-ranked Princeton women host No. 12 Syracuse, as the Orange look to rebound from a lopsided loss to Notre Dame.
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No. 9 Cortland hosts No. 2 Ithaca in a Central New York showdown (7 p.m. Eastern) featuring teams ranked in the Top 10 of the Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Men's Top 20.
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It's No. 1 vs. No. 2 in Division III women's action, with top-ranked Gettysburg hosting second-ranked TCNJ, which is looking to rebound from Monday's 6-4 loss to defending NCAA champion Middlebury.
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If you're pining for a high school upset, the No. 1 McDonogh (Md.) boys host No. 14 Culver Academy (Ind.), which looked mighty good in dismantling Gonzaga (D.C.).