Tufts, our new No. 2, boasts one of the toughest schedules in Division III and keeps meeting every challenge with poise.

This past week in NESCAC play, they downed Williams 11-8 on Wednesday, then stormed past No. 5 Wesleyan 14-10 in a heavyweight bout on Saturday. Those results come after Tufts knocked off Stevens, Stevenson, Connecticut College and Cortland earlier this year — four programs that have hovered in and around our Top 20 all season long. It’s a testament to what Casey D'Annolfo has done as the Jumbos’ head coach since replacing Brown-bound Mike Daly, who led the Jumbos to three national titles from 2010 to 2015.

However, what’ll be key for D’Annolfo’s group this year is not fading down the stretch, as they won 11 games to open up 2017, before finishing 2-6 in their final eight contests. To avoid repeating that fate, Tufts will have to notably fend off Amherst and Bowdoin, two Top 20 teams, to close out the regular season.

Outside of the Jumbos, RIT keeps rolling atop the rankings at 12-0 and is undoubtedly the team to beat in Liberty League play. The Tigers, however, still have to play conference foes Ithaca and St. Lawrence, two programs hoping to break the goose egg in RIT’s loss column. Overall, it’s been quite the run for head coach Jake Coon’s program since making the 2017 national title game.

One game to keep a keen eye on this week is when No. 4 Gettysburg travels to No. 8 Dickinson this week. That tilt could have massive implications on how the Centennial Conference unfolds.

Also considered: Coast Guard, Colorado College, Connecticut College, Lynchburg. Muhlenberg, RPI, Stevenson, Union, Williams

HOT

Denison (+3)

The Big Red have bounced back admirably since dropping two consecutive contests at the Mustang Classic in mid-March. They’ve since rattled off five straight wins, including two in conference play this past week — a 19-0 victory over Hiram, then coming out on top 14-6 over Oberlin.

Brooks Davy has been stellar along that stretch, with 21 goals scored, including 10 this past week. It’s the junior’s first year as a starter, and he’s already surpassed his combined point total from the previous two seasons (32). Davy’s form has offered a nice alternative to Peter Pittroff, who has 63 points through 12 games and tends to be first on an opponent’s scouting report.

Dickinson (+4)

The Red Devils have now won seven straight, including an impressive 12-7 victory over Haverford this past Saturday in Centennial Conference play. The dominant storyline was the return of senior attack Dylan Maher, who missed Dickinson’s two previous games. Maher finished with five goals and one assist, pushing himself to a career high in points (50). Another stellar performer against Haverford was faceoff specialist Ryan Campbell, who won a season-high 18 of 23 draws to go alongside a season-high 11 ground balls.

Looking down the road, Dickinson will need to put together its best stretch of 2018 to close out the year, with notable conference games against Franklin and Marshall, Gettysburg and Muhlenberg left.

Salisbury (+4)

Thanks to two strong wins, the Sea Gulls surge up the rankings and into a Top 10 spot. They first held off Christopher Newport on Wednesday with a 6-5 victory, largely thanks to a star showing from Brandon Warren in goal. He stopped 10 of 15 shots that came his way, pushing the sophomore to a 52.9 save percentage in his first year as a starter.

Then, on Saturday, Salisbury scored a 9-8 upset win over Cabrini, storming out to 8-5 and 5-2 leads at various points. Their hero was midfielder Emory Wongus, who bagged the game-winning goal with 6:50 left in the contest. Wongus now has 18 goals and five assists on the year, including eight tallies in Salisbury’s last three games.

NOT

Cabrini (-4)

Save for an early-season win over Dickinson, the Cavaliers have struggled against Top 20 teams throughout the 2018 season. Case and point? They were upset 9-8 by Salisbury this past Saturday, never once holding the lead against a Sea Gulls squad that’s been humbled several times this year. Cabrini also fell on March 23 to Stevenson, another squad that’s hovered around the nation’s best.

Cabrini might not have to worry about those demerits, though, as they close out the regular season with four very winnable CSAC games. It could, however, come into play if they make the NCAA Tournament again and have to go toe-to-toe with the nation’s best. Cabrini has made the NCAA Tournament every year since 2002.

Franklin & Marshall (-4)

The Diplomats haven’t played since March 31, so their recent loss against No. 4 Gettysburg has had plenty of time to marinate. They’re still one of the nation’s top programs, but will need to play their way back up the rankings, and have the opportunity to do just that in closing out the regular season with five straight Centennial Conference games.

During that run, look for F&M to rely heavily upon the attack trio of Kevin Mollihan, Luke Keating and Sean Rogers. They’ve combined for 128 points through 10 games. 

Stevens (-5)

The Ducks stormed past Utica 24-1 on Saturday, but it’s what happened before then that spells cause for concern. That’s when they were upset 13-12 in double overtime by Stevenson, a 4-6 side which started the 2018 season by dropping its first five games. In that loss, Stevens led 9-4 and 11-6 at various points. Instead of keeping with that momentum, the Ducks allowed Stevenson to score nine of the game’s 12 final goals.

They’re still heavy favorites to win the Empire 8, partially thanks to junior attack Max Bailey. His 62 points (16 goals, 46 assists) have pushed him atop the conference’s points per game average. Tommy Dawson and Ryan Gebhardt, who each have 41 points, round out the top five in that category.

IN

Bowdoin

After dropping two NESCAC games to kick off the 2018 season, the Polar Bears have stormed back with a vengeance to win eight straight. Just this past week, they knocked off Montclair State 16-5 and reigning conference champion Bates 14-13, though their two toughest contests of the season await. Bowdoin will meet No. 5 Wesleyan on April 14, then newly-minted No. 2 Tufts to close out the regular season on April 25.

Bowdoin has relied upon a balanced offense – nine players have at least 13 points – but senior midfielder Matthew Crowell is their go-to goalscorer with 23 tallies so far. Meanwhile, junior Sam Carlin has been dependable from the faceoff X, operating at a 65 percent success rate, the NESCAC’s third-best rate.

OUT

Connecticut College

The Camels have now dropped two of their last three games, including an 11-8 contest against Tufts two weeks ago and an 11-10 decision at Bates. It’s a worrisome trend, especially considering Top 10 teams in Amherst and Wesleyan still await, even further complicating their bid to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012. In fact, head coach Dave Cornell’s team hasn’t advanced past the conference quarterfinals since 2013, getting bounced in that round three out of the four past seasons.