Every weekend in Division III brings about a few surprises, and things were no different on the first weekend of spring.
For one, Williams stopped two top-20 teams dead in their tracks, snapping an unbeaten run for RPI and putting the hype behind Bates on pause.
As for other headlines, York and Cabrini met in a top-10 matchup and Ursinus and Gettysburg clashed in Centennial Conference play. Meanwhile, Salisbury, Amherst and Tufts remained undefeated.
With April around the corner, here’s who’s heating up and cooling down around Division III.
Nike/US Lacrosse
Division III Men’s Top 20
March 25, 2019 |
W/L |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salisbury | 9-0 | 1 | 3/27 at No. 6 Cabrini |
| 2 | Amherst | 7-0 | 2 | 3/26 vs. Springfield |
| 3 | Tufts | 8-0 | 3 | 3/30 at Connecticut College |
| 4 | York | 9-1 | 6 | 3/30 vs. No. 16 Christopher Newport |
| 5 | RIT | 7-1 | 5 | 3/27 at Geneseo |
| 6 | Cabrini | 7-2 | 4 | 3/27 vs. No. 1 Salisbury |
| 7 | Gettysburg | 7-2 | 10 | 3/27 at No. 18 Franklin & Marshall |
| 8 | Wesleyan | 6-1 | 8 | 3/30 vs. Colby |
| 9 | Dickinson | 6-2 | 11 | 3/27 at McDaniel |
| 10 | Williams | 5-1 | 19 | 3/27 vs. MIT |
| 11 | Denison | 5-2 | 12 | 3/30 vs. Albion |
| 12 | Ursinus | 6-1 | 9 | 3/27 at Washington College |
| 13 | Bates | 6-2 | 7 | 3/30 vs. Hamilton |
| 14 | Stevens | 7-2 | 15 | 3/26 vs. Montclair State |
| 15 | Washington and Lee | 6-4 | 16 | 3/27 at Guilford |
| 16 | Christopher Newport | 8-3 | 13 | 3/30 at No. 4 York |
| 17 | Lynchburg | 5-4 | 18 | 3/30 at Shenandoah |
| 18 | Franklin & Marshall | 5-3 | 17 | 3/27 vs. No. 7 Gettysburg |
| 19 | RPI | 7-1 | 14 | 3/27 vs. Bard |
| 20 | St. Lawrence | 6-0 | NR | 3/27 at Ithaca |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Colorado College, Cortland, Middlebury, St. John Fisher, Stevenson, Swarthmore, Union
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
Hot
York (+2)
The Spartans had quite the weekend, recording wins over Cabrini and Bryn Athyn. However, it’s the former, an 11-7 result, that jumps off the page.
York dropped a season-high 11 goals on a Cabrini defense that’s among the nation’s best. That was mostly thanks to three goals and four assists from senior attacker Thomas Pfeiffer. Senior faceoff specialist Billy Sasso was also stellar in winning 18-of-21 draws.
Williams (+9)
The Ephs were quietly talked about as a NESCAC sleeper in preseason, and those early predictions are bearing fruit. They now have a five-game winning streak after beating ranked foes RPI (16-7) and Bates (16-14) last week.
What’s most impressive about Williams is that three players have reached the 26-point mark: midfielder Brendan Hoffman and attackmen Jake Haase and Cory Lund.
Dickinson (+2)
After losing to Middlebury at the Mustang Classic, the Red Devils needed to kick off their Centennial Conference slate on Saturday with a bang. They did exactly that in beating Washington College, 19-14.
The win was powered by a combined 12 goals and eight assists from upperclassmen Nick Goles, Jack O’Connell and Brodie Phillips.
Not
Bates (-6)
Head coach Peter Lasagna likes to talk about how a season is a marathon not a sprint, and now the Bobcats will have to recalibrate after falling, 16-14, at Williams on Saturday. Bates made a third- and fourth-quarter rally, but a 14-5 halftime deficit was ultimately too much to overcome.
The program from Lewiston, Maine, has six NESCAC games to close out the year, and it’s surely too premature to question their postseason hopes.
Ursinus (-3)
The surging Centennial Conference underdog was knocked from the ranks of the undefeated last weekend, as they lost 13-9 to Gettysburg. The defeat kept alive a not-so-flattering fact: Ursinus has never beaten the Bullets since becoming an NCAA program in 2003.
It’ll be interesting to see how head coach Gary Mercadante’s team responds to some adversity, considering they haven’t yet started a week of progress on the back foot.
RPI (-5)
The Engineers were another team that saw its undefeated run nipped in the bud, as they lost 16-7 to Williams last Wednesday. But RPI, under the guidance of first year head coach Scott Hackett-Dalgliesh, bounced right back in beating Ithaca 13-11 to begin Liberty League play on Saturday.
It’s all conference matchups – seven of them – from here on out for RPI, so we’ll how the meat of its schedule unfolds.
In
St. Lawrence
The Saints’ Liberty League game on Sunday at Bard was postponed due to what was described as “injury/illness” at the host school. Before then, St. Lawrence rattled off six straight wins, with triumphs over NESCAC foes Bowdoin and Middlebury jumping off the page.
It’s not often discussed, but St. Lawrence has thrived in the clearing game by going 112-of-124 for a top-five success rate in Division III.
Out
Cortland
The Red Dragons continue to struggle against ranked teams, as they dropped a 13-5 decision to Wesleyan last Friday down in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Earlier this year, the SUNYAC powerhouse program fell to Ursinus and Tufts.
They’re still heavy favorites in the SUNYAC, though they aren’t helping their case if an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament becomes necessary.