Dialed In: Your Lacrosse Fix for Wednesday, May 3

Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:

1. Bellarmine, Lehigh, Loyola and Robert Morris advanced in conference tournaments Tuesday.

Both lower-seeded teams sprung upsets in the ASUN quarterfinals in Moon Township, Pa.

• Fifth-seeded Bellarmine continued its historic season by picking up its first-ever postseason victory, defeating fourth-seeded Mercer 14-13. Goalie JC Higginbotham preserved the win with a clutch save with less than 10 seconds left. Benny O’Rourke had two goals and three assists. The Knights, who in their 19th season have reached double-digit wins for the first time, will play top-seeded Utah in the semifinals Friday.

• Sixth-seeded Robert Morris defeated third-seeded Jacksonville 9-8. Taggart Clark had a goal and four assists for the Colonials, who are 7-0 in conference playoff games dating back to 2018. It was a masterful defensive performance, as the reigning ASUN champion limited Jacksonville’s explosive attack unit of Max Waldbaum, Dylan Watson, Jacob Greiner and Jackson Intrieri to combined 2-for-17 shooting. The Dolphins did rally with three goals in a 93-second stretch late in the fourth quarter to pull within one, but their final two possessions ended in turnovers. Robert Morris plays second-seeded Air Force in the semifinals Friday.

In the Patriot League quarterfinals:

• Loyola looked a lot like the team that beat Maryland and Hopkins back in February. Evan James scored a Patriot League tournament-record six goals and Luke Staudt made 18 saves to lead the fifth-seeded Greyhounds to a 12-7 victory at fourth-seeded Navy. They’ll ship up to Boston to play top-seeded Boston University in the semifinals Friday.

• Trailing 3-2 at halftime, Lehigh broke open a defensive struggle with eight unanswered goals spanning the third and fourth quarters en route to a 12-8 win over Lafayette. Cole Scott and Justin Tiernan scored three goals apiece and Christian Mule' had five assists, as the third-seeded Mountain Hawks advanced to meet second-seeded Army in the semifinals Friday in Boston.

2. The 2024 World Lacrosse Box Champoionships will be held in Utica, N.Y., World Lacrosse announced Tuesday. The event will include the first-ever women’s box world championship. Hosted by Mohawk Valley Garden and Oneida County with support from World Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse, the tournament will take place Sept. 13-22, 2024.

USA Lacrosse CEO Marc Riccio was among representatives to speak at a press conference Tuesday.

The World Lacrosse Box Championships are to Utica, New York

MORE: https://t.co/a28Vx5sQwx#WorldBox2024 | #WLBC pic.twitter.com/zXqnMGF8Yz

— World Lacrosse (@WorldLacrosse) May 2, 2023

3. Athletes Unlimited announced the details of its third season Tuesday. The professional women’s lacrosse league is coming back to USA Lacrosse for a four-week campaign July 20-Aug. 13. Twenty-eight athletes are currently signed, including reigning champion Taylor Moreo and superstar Charlotte North. The roster includes 11 members of the gold medal-winning U.S. national team. All games will be broadcast on ESPN platforms.

WHAT WE’RE READING

• The latest NCAA Division I men’s and women’s lacrosse tournament bracket projections by Patrick Stevens and Jeremy Fallis, respectively.  

• High school rankings reports, including the Nike/USA Lacrosse National Top 25s (boys and girls) and Nike/USA Lacrosse Regional Top 10s (boys and girls)

• An NCAA.com primer on when and how to watch the NCAA tournament selection shows for Division I, II and III men’s and women’s lacrosse.

• An eye-opening and “record-setting” Premier Lacrosse League broadcast slate that includes eight ABC windows and multiple games on ESPN and ESPN2.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

“Through X,” hosted by Paul Carcaterra, returned Tuesday with a must-watch feature on Virginia’s Connor Shellenberger.

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