Major Upsets, D-III Opportunities Highlight 2024 Mustang Classic

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Dod Poe, a high school lacrosse coach at powerhouse Loyola Blakefield in Towson, Md., encouraged all his players to attend the 2024 Mustang Classic at Stevenson University.

It was a rare opportunity to see many of the top teams in Division III men’s lacrosse at one venue. Eight of the 10 participants earned a spot in this week’s USA Lacrosse Division III Men’s Top 20. 

“The quality of these schools and these coaches are really good,” said Poe, who was also a midfielder at Salisbury and played a key role in the program’s first national championship in 1994. “There’s a lot of kids here that are missing opportunities to be part of good lacrosse programs. The Tufts coach Casey D’Annolfo is phenomenal. Steve Koudelka from Lynchburg is another phenomenal coach. 

“These coaches are every bit as serious as the ones on the D-I level. They won a lot of games and won a lot of games as players. There are too many kids that are sleeping on these teams.” 

This year’s Classic consisted of No. 2 RIT, No. 3 Tufts, No. 4 Dickinson, No. 7 Christopher Newport, No. 8 St. Lawrence, No. 12 Lynchburg, No. 14 Washington and Lee, No. 16 York, Hamilton and host Stevenson. 

The logistics of the showcase start months beforehand to ensure the games run smoothly. Leading up to March 15, Stevenson’s athletic and facilities staff worked from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. preparing for the games. The key is keeping all the departments on the same page with the support of Stevenson president Elliot Hirschman and athletic director Brett Adams.

“I think it speaks volumes about what Stevenson is all about to host this tournament,” Mustangs coach Paul Cantabene said. “It’s a logistic nightmare to get all the different groups in line to make it look like an effortless experience for the other programs. The sacrifices the staff at Stevenson make to make this a premiere event is awesome.”

The games attracted alumni, families and fans from around the region. It was also an opportunity to get outside and enjoy unseasonably warm weather. 

“I’m a huge Ravens fan, but lacrosse is my favorite season,” said Mark Maloney, a Cockeysville, Md., resident who attended the afternoon games on Saturday. “Especially when it’s sunny and 70 [degrees] in March. I’m looking forward to enjoying the weather and watching some of the best D-III lacrosse teams in the country.”

The marquee game of the tournament featured No. 2 RIT against No. 3 Tufts on Saturday evening. The Tigers scored five straight goals midway through the first half and cruised to a 16-11 victory.

Clifford Gaston finished with five goals on seven shots with one assist, while Luke Pilcher scored three times for RIT, which improved to 7-0 and handed Tufts (4-1) its first loss of the season. Tufts outshot RIT 50-42 and was led by Garrett Kelly, who finished with three goals..

“I am not sure I expected the outcome per se, but I expected what you saw: an up-and-down battle, a lot of playmaking, and some sloppy play because of the aggression on both sides,” RIT coach Jake Coon said. “I guess it was as advertised. I’m really happy that we came out on top of that one. I’m certainly going to give our guys a lot of credit.”

St. Lawrence had an exceptional weekend. In one of Friday’s best games, Ben Hutchinson scored two minutes and 36 seconds into overtime to give the Saints a 9-8 victory over York.

The following day, St. Lawrence won another overtime thriller, knocking off Christopher Newport 13-12 on a goal by Judge Murphy, who finished with a hat trick and two assists in each game.

“We wanted to come here 2-0, and we did just that. We couldn’t have left here in a better place,” Murphy said. “The conference play starts next week, so we are looking at it 0-0.”

While Murphy ran into a lot of former players he faced in high school, the goal was to stay focused on winning two games.

“I tried not to let that distract me,” Murphy said. “We came here to go 2-0.”

Christopher Newport did recover from a deflating 18-10 loss at Tufts on March 6 with a 7-6 win over Dickinson 17-9 on Friday.

“I’m just really proud of our guys with how we battled back after a tough loss last week,” Christopher Newport coach Mikey Thompson said. “It was a long trip to Boston, and we got pushed around a little bit by a really good team. You do a little soul-searching after games like that. It’s just a credit to our experience and leadership to be able to handle that in the right way.”

There were a couple of big upsets on Saturday.

Frank Coyle had four goals, while Will Heher and Juston Pearl, Justin each had a hat trick to lead Hamilton past Lynchburg 16-14.

In the final game, Stevenson edged Washington and Lee 10-9. The Generals scored three goals in the final 4:29, but they could not overcome the Mustangs. Darrell Curtis, Stephen Rinck and Grant Zick scored two goals apiece for Stevenson. 

For Cantabene, the Mustang Classic was another opportunity to compete against the top programs in the nation. The Mustangs have played against six ranked teams over their first seven games of the 2024 season. Next up for Stevenson is a battle against No. 1 Salisbury on March 23. 

“Playing our schedule year in and out is an incredible grind for our team,” he said. “To play so many highly ranked teams week in and out is a mental challenge, but our team embraces that challenge. They love playing good teams and trying to make themselves better. It’s hard on the team at times, but it’s also very rewarding to see them push themselves to be better each week.

“We could play anyone we want to have a good record, but every time I talk about lightening the schedule, they tell me no; we love it and love the challenge.”

2024 MUSTANG CLASSIC SCORES

FRIDAY

No. 8 St. Lawrence 9,  No. 16 York 8 (OT)
No. 2 RIT 15, No. 14 Washington and Lee 9
No. 7 Christopher Newport 17,  No. 4 Dickinson 9
No. 3 Tufts 19, Hamilton 12
No. 12 Lynchburg 15, Stevenson 9

SATURDAY

Dickinson 11, York 8
St. Lawrence 13, Christopher Newport 12 (OT)
Hamilton 16, Lynchburg 14
RIT 16, Tufts 11
Stevenson 10, Washington & Lee 9