Rollins Rolls Tampa, Rockets Up Nike/USA Lacrosse Division II Men's Top 20

Let’s start with a pivotal Floridian upset: Rollins taking down Tampa 12-6.

A nightcap to the day’s Division II action, the Tars leaned heavily on their ability to control the ball and score against a Tampa defense that couldn’t get the stop it needed. The fourth quarter was filled with dramatic turnovers for one team and timely scores for the other. Rollins looked comfortable spinning the ball throughout the game, but even more so when the result was on the line. Their last two goals to seal the game came from Mikey Berkman and Logan Rogers on backside looks that saw them get into a one-on-none with the goaltender. 

Seton Hill’s 14-13 overtime win over Frostburg State was a notable midweek result. Frostburg looked well in control for most of the game. Frostburg led 7-4 at the break, then ran off three straight goals to start the third and push the lead to 10-4. Seton Hill continued to battle, and with two minutes left, they found themselves down four. 

The Griffins found something special down the stretch. It became the Mark Strunk show. After Connor Zostant scored to cut the deficit to three, Strunk won the ensuing faceoff and hit Vincent Cogliandro for another quick goal, bringing Seton Hill within two. Strunk won the following faceoff and started transition, where Jeremy Sfrorzo was able to put a rebound home to bring Seton Hill within one. Strunk yet again won the faceoff, and this time, he took it to goal himself, tying it at 13 with just over a minute left. In 25 seconds, Seton Hill went from down by three goals to level at 13. The game headed to overtime, where Cogliandro won it on a man-up strike. 

Wingate’s efforts to establish itself as a power in the SAC were bolstered by a 16-10 win over Lenoir-Rhyne. This was a signature game for preseason Player of the Year Willie Grieco, as he notched nine points in this top 10 matchup, including four goals on five shots. Johnny Caponi made 18 saves, a career high, to stifle Lenoir-Rhyne. The Bears now have two losses this year, the other coming against Tampa, and still have plenty of opportunities to bolster their postseason resume with games against Limestone and Anderson remaining.

Another high-profile top 10 battle saw Mercyhurst take back control of their namesake by defeating Mercy 16-10. The victory looked less likely early on, as Mercy raced out to a 7-3 lead after the first, which included a 5-1 run. Mercyhurst scored the first three goals of the second quarter and battled to within a one-goal deficit at halftime. In the third, Mercyhurst took its first lead of the game at 10-9 on a Nicholas Mabe goal. And in the fourth, the Lakers found something special. They outscored Mercy 6-0, winning all seven faceoffs in the quarter and picking up 11 ground balls to Mercy’s four. Mercyhurst now has wins over Mercy and Wingate and will be in the discussion for the No. 1 spot in the coming weeks. 

NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION II MEN’S TOP 20

Also considered (alphabetical order): Chestnut Hill (5-2), Saint Leo (7-3), Saint Michael’s (4-2)

Nike/USA Lacrosse Rankings

Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women

HOT

Wingate (+2)

Since a February 11 loss to Mercyhurst, Wingate has rattled off eight straight wins. Wingate notched victories over Limestone and Newberry during that stretch. This week, it came out firing against Lenoir-Rhyne, racing to a 10-3 halftime lead and protecting that lead en route to a 16-10 win. Johnny Caponi had a career-high 18 saves. Willie Grieco had nine points and Danny Riley had five. The pair are now first and second, respectively, in the nation in points. 

Newberry (+1)

Newberry got back in the conversation with a big 17-12 win over Anderson midweek. A seven-point outing from Briley Maxwell, including four goals on eight shots, paced Newberry. The key stat in this one was ground balls. Newberry more than doubled up Anderson, 43-21, to win possession. The Wolves then followed up that win with a 15-8 victory over Mars Hill. 

NOT

Anderson (-8)

Anderson lost to Newberry midweek and then dropped a weekend matchup against North Greenville, managing just five goals. Wins against Florida Southern and Limestone rocketed Anderson up the Top 20, but these two losses have returned them to Earth a bit. Anderson has a pair of 40-goal scorers in Radyn Baudran and Matt Rodgers, both of whom are freshmen. With a young team, letdown games can happen. Anderson faces the white-hot Wingate next week.

PREVIOUS RANKINGS

• Preseason

• Week 1: Feb. 13, 2023

• Week 2: Feb. 20, 2023

• Week 3: Feb. 27, 2023

• Week 4: March 6, 2023

• Week 5: March 13, 2023

• Week 6: March 20, 2023

• Week 7: March 27, 2023