Lynchburg coach Steve Koudelka comes to terms with it every April. He has now for 23 years of leading the ODAC program, which has made seven straight NCAA tournaments.

The regular season flies by, and then the days get numbered unless postseason action goes your way.

“What we always rely on — and it's what has carried us — is these guys want to be with each other as much as they can,” Koudelka said. “They understand there's light at the end of the tunnel soon, especially for the seniors.

“You probably just watched a weekend full of college basketball, and all those guys just want one more day with each other,” Koudelka continued. “It's that simple. You have 30 or so days that are guaranteed, then after that you have to earn it. So it's taking full advantage of these days now to set the tone and last as long as we can in the month of May.”

This time of year, more often than not, is when the Hornets also heat up. Lynchburg has won three ODAC championships this decade, most recently in 2018, and has blown all four of its conference opponents — Virginia Wesleyan, Randolph, Shenandoah and Ferrum — out of the water so far.

Tougher ODAC days lie ahead against Roanoke, Washington and Lee and others, but this is usually when Lynchburg plays its best lacrosse.

“These last six games, they'll help determine where we'll be in May,” Koudelka said. “Are we in the ODAC tournament? Are we the second seed? Where are we going to be? …  Confidence is probably a good word to use for us, because I don't think the guys cocky at all.”

That outlook is partially shaped by a brutal non-conference schedule that’s meant losing to top-10 teams Salisbury, Cabrini, York and Wesleyan by a combined seven goals. Lynchburg also has impressive wins over Stevenson and Franklin & Marshall.

That gauntlet, Koudelka said, prepares Lynchburg for May lacrosse, a time when the simplest of mistakes can have a costly impact. They’re playoff-level games, he added, that demand every player’s best.

“In those games where we've won or lost by a goal or so, it really hinges on a couple of plays,” Koudelka said. “It might be a missed shot, it might be the wrong slide, so what you try to do in those moments is — we call them the grey areas — incorporate them into a practice setting.”

As that unfolds, leaders have emerged all over the field.

Senior goalie Patrick Cornelius has shined in his first year as a starter, Tyler Gallagher and Matt Meadows are top defenders and long-stick midfielder Seamus McDonald earns plenty of praise, too. On offense, the big names are two-way midfielder Kevin Rogers and sharpshooter Evan Lombardo.

Three of those five are seniors, looking to extend their college lacrosse careers for as long as possible.

“Sometimes we all want what happens next and live in that world now,” Koudelka said. “It reminds me of that great quote in ‘Ferris Bueller's Day Off’ where they say something like, ‘Every once in a while you better stop and take a look around, because you might miss it.’ This is that time of year where if our guys can understand that and take every day to be great, that gives us the best chance. It's really all we can ask for as coaches.”

Amherst’s Surprise FOGO

An injury can set a team back, leaving the coaching staff scrambling for a solution.

Quite the opposite has happened with Amherst at the faceoff X, with All-American Dylan Finazzo out with a lower-body injury since the fall. While the junior is expected back this season, coach Jon Thompson said, the Mammoths haven’t had to sweat much with the emergence of a certain freshman.

Step in Juan Gonzalez, formerly of IMG Academy and the owner of a 55.5 success rate on draws.

“He's certainly our most improved player over the course of this first month of the season,” Thompson said. “He's taken the role and sprinted with it.”

However, Finazzo’s injury is only a piece of why Gonzalez even got the job in the first place. In a Feb. 23 scrimmage against SUNY Cortland, Logan Lair also suffered an injury. The first-year got banged up, too, only to recover for the March 2 opener against Colby.

“His introduction of facing off at the collegiate level, it didn't go as well as he probably hoped,” Thompson said. “He's come such a long way.”

Thompson said Gonzalez has quick hands and great balance, two traits that have allowed him to thrive against some of the NESCAC’s best.

But the reality is Amherst, 10-0 heading into April after upsetting Wesleyan on Wednesday, has some of its toughest days ahead. Of their last five games, top-20 foes and conference rivals Bates, Tufts and Williams all await. Then there’s also closing out the year vs. Trinity, which has Scott Morgan, top 15 in the country at the faceoff X with a .705 success rate.

Gonzalez, soon to be pushed for playing time by Finazzo, better buckle up.

“This is big boy lacrosse now,” Thompson said. “It's going to be fun.”

Stevens Favorites to Repeat in Empire 8

As the Empire 8 has shrunk over the years — RIT and Ithaca both departed for the Liberty League — Stevens has risen to the top.

The Ducks captured the conference championship last season, their first since 2012, and have won their first three Empire 8 games this year by a plus-60 goal differential. They can clearly score in bunches, as led by senior attackman Max Bailey, who set the program record for points (over 270) in early March.

With Bailey as the quarterback and Brandon Monteleone and Ryan Gebhardt the shooters, coach Gene Peluso likes what he sees.

“Those three guys — and we're not shy in saying this — are some of the best attackmen in the country,” Peluso said. “They might not be as well-known as some other programs, but if you look at the body of work in their careers, you'll see that they have unique skill sets and blend well together.”

As impressive as they are, a critique of Stevens in the Division III community is they don’t play the toughest non-conference schedule. Peluso hears that, but prefers to leave the prognosticating up to fans and media members. After all, rankings are largely subjective.

“We just have to keep showing to ourselves that we can play at a high level and that we can compete with anybody,” Peluso said. “That’s really it. The business of comparing scores, and we fall into this range, from teams five to 30, it’s interchangeable on any given day or week.”

The comments are born out of the fact Stevens has only played two-surefire top 20 teams, losing to Tufts (19-17) and beating Christopher Newport (14-9). Otherwise, the Ducks’ schedule is littered with wins over mid-major contenders such as Springfield (NEWMAC), Endicott (Commonwealth Coast Conference) and Colorado College (independent).

As mentioned, Peluso doesn’t concern himself with that too much. Rather, it’s full steam ahead on capturing another Empire 8 schedule and staving off the likes of St. John Fisher, Hartwick and Alfred.

“We focus on the end of the year and how that'll shuffle out,” Peluso said. “It’s crunch time and the pressure’s on us to keep at the top.”