Weekend of Upsets Alters Nike/USA Lacrosse Division II Men's Top 20
A weekend of upsets will see several teams hurtle through the rankings like a misplaced sock in the dryer. Most of the top teams managed to get through the weekend without much damage, but the bottom half of the Nike/USA Lacrosse Division II Men’s Top 20 is a horror show.
Unfortunately for the Upstate, New York, contingent, Mercyhurst suffered a tough loss at the hands of one of the hottest teams in the nation. Mercyhurst got out to a slow start, and despite a valiant comeback attempt, the Lakers came up just short against Seton Hill.
The Griffins jumped all over Mercyhurst early and capitalized on Laker mistakes to build a 6-1 halftime lead. In the second half, Mercyhurst battled back, thanks in no small part to the dominance of Shawn Doran facing off. He went 17-for-23 against Seton Hill’s Mark Strunk, who has been among the top in the nation at the faceoff spot this year. Down 10-5 early in the fourth, Mercyhurst scored two quick goals to get back within three. Myles Hamm scored with just under three minutes left to cut it to two, but that’s as close as the Lakers could get. Josh Miller made 16 saves for Seton Hill, and a Vincent Cogliandro goal with 90 seconds left iced the game and Seton Hill’s winning streak runs for another week.
The best game of the weekend took place in the SAC, where an overtime period was needed to settle the score between Lenoir-Rhyne and Limestone. Both teams have looked the part of title contenders this year, and the top players from both rosters had huge days. Mike McGarry scored two goals 30 seconds apart to give Limestone a 2-0 lead before Toron Eccleston got Lenoir-Rhyne on the board. McGarry would complete his hat trick 20 seconds later, and then Lenoir-Rhyne answered with a four-goal run. From there, it was punch, then counter punch. Limestone fought back to tie it, and Lenoir-Rhyne answered a multi-goal run to gain the lead again.
With under 1:30 to play, Limestone scored three straight, including two goals 20 seconds apart by Jason Thomfohrde, to tie the score at 17. Limestone’s John Paulus won the OT faceoff, but a shot by Chris Erneston was stopped by Rob Pensabene, his 22nd save of the day. Lenoir-Rhyne successfully cleared, and Loyola transfer Riley Seay was the hero, drilling the top corner on a right-to-left split down the alley.
The conference tournaments are right around the corner. Steel your resolve and back your squad. This is the latest Top 20.
NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION II MEN’S TOP 20
|
|
April 17, 2023 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Le Moyne |
11-0 |
1 |
4/19 vs. Saint Rose |
|
2 |
Adelphi |
13-0 |
2 |
4/19 at No. 6 Mercy |
|
3 |
UIndy |
10-1 |
3 |
4/22 at No. 4 Wingate |
|
4 |
Wingate |
11-1 |
5 |
4/22 vs. No. 3 UIndy |
|
5 |
Rollins |
11-1 |
6 |
4/19 at Palm Beach Atlantic |
|
6 |
Mercy |
10-2 |
7 |
4/19 vs. No. 2 Adelphi |
|
7 |
Tampa |
12-2 |
8 |
4/22 vs. No. 9 Seton Hill* |
|
8 |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
12-2 |
9 |
4/22 at Coker |
|
9 |
Seton Hill |
9-3 |
15 |
4/22 vs. No. 7 Tampa* |
|
10 |
Mercyhurst |
8-2 |
4 |
4/19 at Lake Erie |
|
11 |
Pace |
9-3 |
14 |
4/19 vs. No. 16 Saint Anselm |
|
12 |
Colorado Mesa |
11-2 |
10 |
4/23 at Westminster |
|
13 |
Limestone |
10-4 |
11 |
4/20 at Lander |
|
14 |
Florida Southern |
11-4 |
12 |
4/22 at Palm Beach Atlantic |
|
15 |
Bentley |
6-4 |
20 |
4/19 vs. St. Michael's |
|
16 |
Saint Anselm |
7-2 |
13 |
4/19 at No. 11 Pace |
|
17 |
Newberry |
10-4 |
16 |
Regular season complete |
|
18 |
Anderson |
11-5 |
18 |
4/22 at Lincoln Memorial |
|
19 |
Belmont Abbey |
9-3 |
19 |
4/20 at Lees-McRae |
|
20 |
Chestnut Hill |
8-2 |
NR |
4/18 at Georgian Court |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Frostburg State
* game played at USA Lacrosse HQ in Sparks, Md.
Nike/USA Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Seton Hill (+6)
Now winners of six straight, including two ranked opponents in Frostburg and Mercyhurst, Seton Hill is ascending to top form as the postseason approaches. Jeremy Sforzo, the leading scorer for the Griffins, along with faceoff specialist Mark Strunk have each been scalding hot these past few weeks. Sforzo is averaging 3.5 points per game over the last six, including a six-point day against Frostburg. Strunk has won the faceoff battle in five of the last six games, including days of 20-for-21 against Wheeling and 20-for-30 against Frostburg.
NOT
Saint Leo
Saint Leo rattled off seven straight wins from late February to early April and found itself knocking at the door of the Top 20. A regular in the “Also Considered” section, Saint Leo has had some major opportunities in its last four games against Florida Southern, Tampa and Rollins. Unfortunately, Saint Leo lost all three. It finds itself fourth in the Sunshine State Conference with one game left against Lynn. A win likely has Saint Leo in the Sunshine State semis, a loss makes things a little tougher.
IN
Chestnut Hill (No. 20)
Since losing two of the first three games, Chestnut Hill has been an afterthought in the rankings. Winning seven games in a row will get you noticed. They may be the secondary Griffins this week thanks to a big win from Seton Hill, but with upcoming games against Georgian Court, Post and Caldwell, they could easily eclipse 10 wins. The Griffins sit atop the CACC at 4-0 but will need to go undefeated to climb the ranks prior to their conference tournament.
OUT
Frostburg State (was No. 17)
Frostburg hasn’t quite looked the same since late March. A loss to Seton Hill was followed by a blowout of D’Youville, and then a loss to Mercy. Last weekend, Frostburg beat Davis & Elkins by just four, and this weekend, they fell to Molloy by a goal. It’s been alternating wins and losses for the last five games, and if you want to stay in the Top 20, you need to win consistently. Right now, Tampa is the only win of note. Next week, Frostburg takes on Mercyhurst, which also will be looking to get back to winning ways. Frostburg is senior-heavy. It’ll be ready to play in a big game, but it needs to translate to success on the field. If Frostburg takes down Mercyhurst, it will find itself right back in the Top 20.
PREVIOUS RANKINGS
Dan Arestia and Kyle Devitte
Dan Arestia and Kyle Devitte cover Division II and III men's lacrosse for USA Lacrosse Magazine.
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