Notre Dame Thrashes its Way Up the Nike/USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Top 20

A little less than a month into this college lacrosse season, it looks as if there is one truly knowable thing about it. No one knows anything.

Well, perhaps almost nothing is a more appropriate description. Because anyone who has seen Notre Dame this season has come away impressed.

The Irish opened the year with double-digit routs of Marquette and Cleveland State. Then came Saturday’s first venture away from South Bend … and almost another 10-goal victory. Georgetown needed three goals in the final three minutes to make the final margin a slightly-more-respectable 15-8, but make no mistake: It was another Notre Dame thrashing.

“That team is playing with a purpose this year,” Hoyas coach Kevin Warne said. “That is a final four, Memorial Day roster. They played hard. Their lacrosse IQ is through the roof. They make so many little plays that sometimes you can’t replicate, but they are very, very, very good.”

Notre Dame’s purpose, of course, is tied to last year’s exclusion from the NCAA tournament, and it is not experiencing a slow start. It has won nine in a row dating back to last season; the second-longest active winning streak is four and belongs to High Point.

The Irish have seamlessly integrated transfers like defensemen Chris Conlin and Chris Fake and midfielder Brian Tevlin into their program. They have emerging young stars like freshman long pole Will Donovan. One of the nation’s top goalies, Liam Entenmann, plies his trade between the pipes for Notre Dame.

And perhaps most impressively, Notre Dame showed the sort of patience on Saturday that often does not develop until late in the spring — if it ever does.

“Our attack is a senior and two sophomores right now,” Notre Dame coach Kevin Corrigan said. “Our first midfield is a junior, a junior who only played one year before this year so he’s really a sophomore, and a fifth-year guy. It’s not like this group has had months together. In fact, [midfielder] Quinn McCahon wasn’t even there in the fall. But guys know their roles and are playing their roles. More than anything else right now, our team likes each other and they like playing with each other and I think it shows.”

Only six other teams — Cornell, Dartmouth, Robert Morris, Saint Joseph’s, UMBC and Virginia — emerged from the weekend without a loss. There is plenty of time to sort out whether Notre Dame is the best of the bunch. But its early consistency is a fine sign with spring on the horizon.

NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION I MEN’S TOP 20

* = in Charlotte, N.C.

Also considered (alphabetical order): Boston University (2-1), Brown (2-1), Denver (2-2), Georgetown (0-3), High Point (4-1), Lehigh (2-1), UMass (2-1), Syracuse (3-2), Richmond (3-1)

HOT

Duke (+8)

One of the casualties of an unpredictable February is the early de-emphasis on results-based logic. Yes, the Blue Devils stumbled by a goal at Jacksonville, continuing their tradition of an opening month loss. They also won at Penn, a quarterfinalist from a year ago that brings back much of its potent offense.

Duke can thank goalie William Helm (19 saves) for his role in the 14-12 triumph. He and the Blue Devils’ defense held the Quakers to 21.4 percent shooting. But Duke also got a five-point day from Brennan O’Neill and hat tricks from Andrew McAdorey and Dyson Williams. It was a fine step forward and reason enough to vault Duke back into the top 10.

Maryland (+5)

The Terrapins claimed an 11-5 victory at Princeton in a rematch of last year’s NCAA semifinal, as freshman goalie Brian Ruppel stopped 14 shots in his first career start. It was the most complete showing for Maryland since its opener and demonstrated plenty of growth from its last road game, a 12-7 loss at Loyola two weeks earlier.

Rutgers (+5)

The Scarlet Knights bounced back from a one-goal loss at Army to dispatch Loyola 10-6 behind Shane Knobloch’s three goals and four assists. Figuring out Rutgers’ place in the large scrum of one-loss teams isn’t easy, but returning to place right around the top 10 feels appropriate.

NOT

Delaware (-7)

In an indication of how fluid things are at this stage, the Blue Hens probably would be on the cusp of the top five had they scored the final goal Sunday against Villanova. Instead, it was Wildcats star Matt Campbell who netted the game-winner with 1:39 to go.

How good is Delaware? It was tough to take much from routs of Lafayette, Mount St. Mary’s and St. John’s, and then it lost a coin flip to a consistently good program. It seems clear a couple decent weeks can put a lot of teams on track for a spot in the top 10. Delaware, which continues its homestand with games against Michigan, UMBC and Monmouth, is one of them.

Yale (-6)

The biggest lesson for Andy Shay’s bunch from a 13-11 loss to Penn State? Don’t fall behind 8-1 after a quarter. (Don’t play in the snow might qualify as a secondary lesson). The Bulldogs gave up three man-up goals in the opening period on the way to their 15-game home winning streak coming to an end.

IN

Villanova (No. 16)

Matt Campbell didn’t just deliver the game-winner in the final two minutes Sunday, he also tied the Wildcats’ career goals in the process. The fifth-year midfielder has 128 goals at Villanova, including 11 this season.

He’s been busy against a solid February schedule of Penn State (14-12 win), Yale (20-14 loss) and Delaware (13-12 victory). Those results offer this unsurprising takeaway: Villanova sure can score. To this point, the Wildcats have done enough to warrant a top-20 spot.

Penn State (No. 19)

Put the Nittany Lions in a similar category to Villanova. They’re averaging 15.8 goals. They’re giving up 12 goals an outing. They have a victory that’s almost certain to hold up well (at Yale) and a loss (at Villanova) that is unlikely to hurt at the end of the year. Go ahead and toss Penn State into the mix of teams that might be postseason contenders after it matched its victory total from all of last year (3-11).

OUT

UMass (was No. 14)

It was a one-week appearance in the top 20 for the Minutemen after a 12-6 loss at home to Boston University. Still, UMass owns what is likely to remain a useful victory over Army and could well jump back into the rankings if they can upend Yale at home on Saturday.

Georgetown (was No. 18)

The Hoyas, a preseason top-five pick, tumbled out of the rankings with their third loss in a row to start the year. And while the program believes it has all the pieces necessary for a successful season, there is definitely a search for answers on the Hilltop this week after a lackluster 15-8 setback to Notre Dame.

The truth is Notre Dame would have beaten just about anyone Saturday. It’s how Georgetown looked against the Irish — in disarray at times on defense, lacking cohesion on offense and appearing like a team a step slow almost everywhere — that should set off alarms. Things don’t get any easier; the Hoyas visit Princeton on Saturday.

PREVIOUS RANKINGS

• Preseason

• Week 0: February 6

• Week 1: February 13

• Week 2: February 20