Another week of Division III lacrosse, another week of wild results.
That has caused three new teams – Ursinus, Franklin & Marshall and RPI – to enter this week’s Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Men’s Top 20. Meanwhile, some tough late-February and early-March results see Roanoke, Cortland and Ohio Wesleyan drop out.
But if these first few weeks of 2019 have taught us anything, it’s that any result is possible. A handful of top-20 matchups could provide some changes to the national picture. Keep an eye out for Wednesday’s tilts between York and Gettysburg, then Coast Guard and Wesleyan.
Nike/US Lacrosse
Division III Men’s
Top 20
March 4, 2019 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wesleyan | 1-0 | 1 | 3/6 vs. No. 20 Coast Guard |
| 2 | Salisbury | 5-0 | 2 | 3/9 at No. 18 Stevenson |
| 3 | Amherst | 1-0 | 3 | 3/5 at Western New England |
| 4 | Tufts | 2-0 | 4 | 3/5 vs. Keene State |
| 5 | RIT | 2-0 | 5 | 3/5 vs. Springfield |
| 6 | York | 4-0 | 6 | 3/6 at No. 6 Gettysburg |
| 7 | Cabrini | 4-0 | 7 | 3/9 vs. No. 14 Ithaca |
| 8 | Gettysburg | 3-1 | 8 | 3/6 vs. No. 8 York |
| 9 | Dickinson | 3-1 | 9 | 3/10 vs. Roanoke |
| 10 | Ursinus | 4-0 | NR | 3/6 at Montclair State |
| 11 | Stevens | 3-0 | 13 | 3/6 vs. Roanoke |
| 12 | Denison | 2-1 | 11 | 3/9 at DePauw |
| 13 | Christopher Newport | 3-2 | 10 | 3/8 at Elizabethtown |
| 14 | Ithaca | 2-0 | 15 | 3/6 at Oswego State |
| 15 | Washington and Lee | 2-3 | 12 | 3/6 vs. Mary Washington |
| 16 | Franklin & Marshall | 3-1 | NR | 3/9 at Messiah |
| 17 | Lynchburg | 1-3 | 17 | 3/9 at Bridgewater |
| 18 | Stevenson | 1-2 | 19 | 3/9 at No. 2 Salisbury |
| 19 | RPI | 3-0 | NR | 3/9 vs. Babson |
| 20 | Coast Guard | 2-1 | 20 | 3/6 at No. 1 Wesleyan |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Bates, Bowdoin, Cortland, Hampden-Sydney, Ohio Wesleyan, Roanoke, Springfield, St. Lawrence
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
Hot
Stevens (+2)
The good times keep on rolling for the Ducks, whose latest result was a 16-7 win over Springfield on Saturday. They relied on seven- and six-goal runs, the former of which climbed the group out of an early 4-1 hole. Reigning third team All-American attackman Max Bailey had a game-high six points, while midfielders Dean Peluso and Eric Radbourne combined for six goals and three assists. Senior goalie Carson White was also stellar with 15 saves.
Ithaca (+1)
The Bombers’ opening week went about as well as they could have hoped, starting with a 17-3 win over Lycoming and concluding with an 11-9 win over SUNY Geneseo. Connor Brumfield leads the Liberty League program with seven goals and four assists, while Conor Thornton has stopped 23-of-35 shots faced. Ithaca’s toughest early-season test comes this Saturday versus Cabrini.
Not
Christopher Newport (-3)
Last week was a Jekyll-and-Hyde showing from the Captains. They steamrolled Roanoke 17-3 on Wednesday, then saw tough first and third quarters bring about a 12-10 defeat to Ursinus. The biggest issue facing Christopher Newport is at the faceoff X. The team has gone 31-of-127 for a woeful 24.4 winning percentage.
Washington and Lee (-3)
Two-time All-American attackman A.J. Witherell missed Saturday’s game against Franklin & Marshall due to injury, and it showed. The Generals lost 13-10, unable to capitalize on Jack Hodgson winning 18-of-25 draws. This upcoming week’s games against Mary Washington and Randolph-Macon are entirely winnable, so expect a quick recovery. The latter begins ODAC play.
New
Ursinus
The Bears are for real, with early-season wins over Stevenson, Cortland and Christopher Newport – all teams in the top-20 conversation – jumping off the page. The most-recent notch on the belt was beating Christopher Newport 12-10 on the road Saturday. Senior faceoff specialist Brian Casey went 17-for-20 from the X, while attackmen Hakan Atillasoy, Bobby McClure and Peter DeSimone each had a hat trick. It’s entirely possible that Ursinus will be 7-0 when it starts Centennial Conference play March 23 at Gettysburg.
Franklin & Marshall
The Diplomats have bounced back well from an 11-8 season-opening loss to Lycoming, rattling off three consecutive wins. The latest was a 13-10 victory at Washington and Lee, despite the Dips going 8-for-26 on faceoffs and losing the ground-ball battle 35-26. The reigning Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year, attackman Luke Keating, paced the offense with seven points (five goals, two assists). George Briggs, a reigning honorable-mention All-American midfielder, had five assists.
RPI
The Engineers have made the most of a recent swing against New England teams, beating Keene State, Coast Guard and MIT. The latter was a 16-6 home win on Saturday in which a pair of attackmen led the way. Freshman Cooper Urban had five goals, giving him 14 points on the year, while senior JT Kelly had a goal and six assists. Brian Doughty stopped all nine shots he saw, all in the first half, for the win.
Out
Roanoke
Ian Davies, the reigning USILA Division III Goalie of the Year and a first-team All-American, suffered a knee injury on Wednesday against Christopher Newport. Head coach Bill Pilat said the senior sprained his ligaments, though nothing is torn. That could partially explain why the Maroons lost back-to-back games last week by a combined 37-9 scoreline to CNU and Denison. Another tough week lies ahead against ranked teams in Stevens and Denison. Roanoke has to dig deep or the ODAC opener vs. Virginia Wesleyan on March 17 could require climbing out of a sizable hole.
Ohio Wesleyan
Last week’s 12-11 overtime win over Otterbein was a solid start, but the Battling Bishops came crashing down with an 18-9 defeat at Salisbury on Sunday. The NCAC powerhouse program has had a rough go of it, as it stands 1-3 with few answers to be found. Three players have reached double-digit points, but individual performances won’t be enough.
Cortland
The Red Dragons make their living in the SUNYAC, a conference they’ve won 26 times since 1978. However, it’s been a rough start to non-conference play with losses to Ursinus (15-9) and Tufts (19-15) last week. The next notable challenge comes March 22 against Wesleyan, so there’s plenty of time to right the ship.