Are you serious Clarkson?
“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” puns aside, the Golden Knights certainly got everyone’s attention with their 9-6 upset of RIT on Saturday, dealing the Tigers their second straight loss and their first Liberty League defeat since 2012.
Thus, Clarkson enters the Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Men’s Top 20 at No. 16, with RIT and Stevenson sliding as result of their losses over the weekend.
March 27, 2017 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salisbury | 10-0 | 1 | 3/29 at Wesley |
| 2 | Ithaca | 8-0 | 2 | 3/29 at Cortland |
| 3 | Tufts | 7-0 | 3 | 3.28 vs. Western New England |
| 4 | St. Lawrence | 6-0 | 4 | 3/28 vs. Nazareth |
| 5 | York | 10-1 | 5 | 3/29 at St. Mary's (Md.) |
| 6 | Denison | 6-1 | 8 | 4/1 vs. Wittenberg |
| 7 | Dickinson | 6-1 | 9 | 3/29 at McDaniel |
| 8 | Bates | 7-0 | 10 | 4/1 vs. Hamilton |
| 9 | Cortland | 6-0 | 11 | 3/29 vs. No. 2 Ithaca |
| 10 | RIT | 5-2 | 6 | 3/29 vs. Middlebury |
| 11 | Stevenson | 3-3 | 7 | 3/29 vs. Lebanon Valley |
| 12 | Cabrini | 5-3 | 12 | 4/1 at Keystone |
| 13 | Gettysburg | 5-3 | 13 | 3/29 at Franklin & Marshall |
| 14 | Amherst | 5-2 | 14 | 3/29 vs. Springfield |
| 15 | RPI | 4-2 | 15 | 3/29 vs. Plattsburgh |
| 16 | Clarkson | 6-1 | NR | 4/1 at Union |
| 17 | Ursinus | 5-2 | 17 | 3/29 at Washington College |
| 18 | Wesleyan | 5-1 | 18 | 3/29 at Union |
| 19 | Frostburg State | 6-3 | 19 | 3/29 vs. Ohio Wesleyan |
| 20 | Roanoke | 7-2 | 20 | 4/1 at Lynchburg |
Also considered: Bowdoin, Colorado College, Eastern, Lynchburg, Middlebury, Nazareth, Springfield, Union, Washington and Lee, Washington College
HOT
Cortland (+2)
The Red Dragons move into the Top 10 at No. 9 after 10 different players scored in an 18-13 win at Cabrini. Though Cortland (6-0) is the lowest ranked of the six remaining undefeated teams in Division III, it will get a chance Wednesday to knock off No. 2 Ithaca in a Central New York showdown.
Dickinson (+2)
The Red Devils’ 11-3 loss to Denison in the Mustang Classic already seems like a distant memory. They have responded with back-to-back one-goal victories, defeating RIT 10-9 in overtime and then holding off a late run by Washington College to win their Centennial Conference opener 9-8.
NOT
RIT (-2)
It’s rare for the Tigers to lose during the regular season. But two straight? These are uncharted waters for RIT, which shot just 6-for-50 in its loss to Clarkson.
Stevenson (-2)
Considering Stevenson’s first six opponents were, in order, RIT, Gettysburg, Ohio Wesleyan, Lynchburg, York and Tufts, it doesn’t look so bad being .500. The Middle Atlantic Conference won’t resemble anything close to that gauntlet. Mixed in there will be additional non-conference road games at Cabrini and Stevens.
NEW
Clarkson
Goalie Nick Strandholm was sensational against RIT, making 21 saves as the Golden Knights improved to 6-1. They play at Union on Saturday and face two more Top 10 opponents this month in St. Lawrence and Cortland.
OUT
Bowdoin
The Polar Bears’ deficiency on defense has shown. After blowout losses to Amherst and Ithaca to start the season, they’ve managed to win four straight, surviving in consecutive shootouts at NESCAC foes Middlebury (14-13 in double overtime) and Williams (16-15). Someone had to make way for Clarkson, which is not to say Bowdoin won’t resurface if it stays on the winning side of such slugfests.