In a week that saw a half dozen top-20 teams square off, one game stood out above the rest: defending NCAA champion and No. 3 Salisbury’s loss at the hands of then-No. 12 Gettysburg.

The Bullets upset the Sea Gulls 12-11 in double overtime and consequently put the Division III lacrosse world on notice. It was Salisbury’s first defeat since an overtime loss to Cabrini on April 14, 2017, ending a 10-game unbeaten run that included winning last year’s national title.

In another marquee top-20 matchup, No. 3 RIT defeated No. 15 Bates 9-7 at UMass. The Tigers lost in the national title game to Salisbury last spring, while the Bobcats won the NESCAC regular season title and made the NCAA tournament’s quarterfinal round.

On the flip side, Lynchburg continued its tepid start to 2018, dropping its third consecutive game and dropping out of the top 20 entirely. This go around, the Hornets fell 16-15 to No. 6 Cabrini.

As March rolls around, the Division III landscape should get even more interesting, as the majority of the NESCAC gets underway and fans will at long last see what No. 1 Wesleyan is capable of. From the same conference, No. 9 Tufts, No. 13 Amherst and No. 19 Bowdoin are also slated to get underway – all on Saturday.

Also considered: Babson, Clark, Keene State, Lynchburg, Middlebury Ohio Wesleyan, Springfield

Hot

Gettysburg (+7)

It took nearly 70 minutes of lacrosse for the Bullets to make history on Saturday, as they downed two-time defending national champion Salisbury 12-11 in double overtime. Remarkably, the Sea Gulls led 8-5 late in the third quarter, only for head coach Hank Janczyk’s team to rattle off five unanswered goals.

Junior midfielder Jack Harvey scored his second goal of the game with 1:09 left in the second OT stanza to secure the victory, giving the Ohio Wesleyan transfer six points (three goals, three assists) on the year. Gettysburg went just 3-of-10 on man-up situations, but won the ground-ball battle, 33-25, and face-off battle, 13-10.

The victory was Gettysburg’s first over a No. 1 team (the Sea Gulls were the top-ranked team in the USILA coaches poll) since they beat Cortland in 2010, and the program’s first home win over Salisbury since 2002.

RIT (+2)

After losing to Salisbury in the Division III title game last year, No. 5 RIT has returned in 2018 with a vengeance. The Tigers downed Ohio Wesleyan in week one, only for head coach Jake Coon’s team to impressively beat No. 15 Bates 9-7 on Saturday.

RIT turned to the midfield against the Bobcats, as junior Cam Isaac and seniors Kyle Killen and Aidan Milburn combined for seven goals and two assists. Meanwhile, after appearing in just two games in 2017, sophomore goalie Walker Hare made 12 saves. Sophomore defenseman Alex Maruna caused three turnovers, giving him six on the year.

Heading into this season, the biggest question facing RIT was how it would replace attackmen Ryan Lee and Chad Levick, who combined for 592 points (395 goals, 197 assists) throughout their careers. So far, so good.

Not

Stevenson (-2)

Stevenson has a grueling stretch to kick off 2018 – consecutive games against Denison, Gettysburg, Salisbury, Dickinson, York, Tufts and Cabrini, all top-20 teams.

In the Mustangs’ first test, they dropped a narrow 11-10 decision to Denison after scoring the game’s first four goals. Their death knell came in the fourth quarter, when they got outscored by the Big Red 4-2.

Brooks Davy and Peter Pittroff, Denison’s go-to attackmen, each registered a hat trick. Despite the loss, Stevenson won the ground ball battle 34-27, and sophomore Sam Ross made 10 saves on 21 shots.

Bates (-1)

The Bobcats will need to bounce back quickly from last week’s 9-7 loss to No. 5 RIT. The NESCAC is an unforgiving conference, and the bar is set high for this group out of Lewiston, Maine, after finishing the 2017 regular season undefeated.

Salisbury (-4)

After holding serve at No. 3 for two weeks, the Sea Gulls were upset by Gettysburg. They’re favored to bounce back this weekend when they visit Ohio Wesleyan, so likely a temporary demerit for the two-time defending national champions.

In

Christopher Newport

The Captains have rattled off four consecutive wins, setting a positive tone in their fifth season as part of the Capital Athletic Conference.

Attackman Dylan Rice has emerged as a force to be reckoned with. The freshman out of Mechanicsville, Va., has notched 13 goals and six assists. Senior faceoff specialist Tony Cruz has been another standout, as he’s 57-for-87 from the X.

Christopher Newport won’t face its two (arguably) toughest opponents of the season until April, when it encounters conference foes No. 2 York and No. 3 Salisbury. Ahead of then, there’s plenty of chance to keep racking up wins.

Out

Lynchburg

Lynchburg has made every NCAA tournament since 2012, but fell 16-15 to No. 7 Cabrini on Saturday, pushing its record to 0-3. Before then, the Hornets lost to then-No. 12 Franklin & Marshall and No. 3 Salisbury.

Chalk it up to tough scheduling, perhaps, but the losses are piling up, and Lynchburg has accordingly dropped out of the top 20. Matters won’t get any easier for the Hornets either, as a home clash against No. 2 York is on the horizon.

Lynchburg will need to shore up its defense. Through three games, the Hornets are allowing 14.36 goals per game. Further, they’re causing 4.3 turnovers per game, trailing behind their opponent’s seven caused turnovers per game.