We’re beginning to see some separation in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division II Men’s Top 20. Merrimack and Le Moyne look unfazed and have thus far bucked the trend of upsets that have highlighted the first few weeks of the season.
But behind them? The changes continue. After knocking off Lenoir-Rhyne on Feb. 24, Colorado Mesa beat two ranked teams last week. Mesa was dominant against then-No. 18 Rockhurst on Tuesday and scored a huge upset of then-No. 3 Tampa on Saturday.
As a result, the Mavericks move into the top five, alongside Lenoir-Rhyne, which took down Belmont Abbey over the weekend.
March 12, 2017 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merrimack | 3-0 | 1 | 3/17 vs. Saint Rose |
| 2 | Le Moyne | 4-0 | 2 | 3/17 at Bentley |
| 3 | Pace | 3-0 | 5 |
3/14 at No. 17 NYIT
|
| 4 | Colorado Mesa | 6-0 | 8 | 3/13 at Rollins |
| 5 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 7-1 | 6 |
3/17 at Tusculum
|
| 6 | Seton Hill | 4-1 | 7 |
3/14 vs. Wheeling Jesuit
|
| 7 | Tampa | 6-1 | 3 | 3/14 vs. No. 8 Belmont Abbey |
| 8 | Belmont Abbey | 5-1 | 4 | 3/14 at No. 7 Tampa |
| 9 | Mercyhurst | 4-1 | 10 | 3/17 vs. Davis & Elkins |
| 10 | Adelphi | 2-1 | 13 |
3/17 vs. No. 20 Saint Anselm
|
| 11 | Limestone | 4-3 | 14 | 3/18 vs. Chowan |
| 12 | Mercy | 5-1 | 15 |
3/20 at American International
|
| 13 | Mount Olive | 5-2 | 11 |
3/14 vs. No. 19 Indianapolis
|
| 14 | Saint Leo | 5-1 | 17 | 3/14 vs. No. 18 Lindenwood |
| 15 | LIU Post | 2-2 | 12 |
3/14 at No. 20 Saint Anselm
|
| 16 | Lake Erie | 1-1 | 20 |
3/14 vs. Walsh
|
| 17 | NYIT | 2-4 | 9 |
3/14 vs. No. 3 Pace
|
| 18 | Lindenwood | 3-1 | 16 |
3/14 at No. 14 Saint Leo
|
| 19 | Indianapolis | 3-1 | N/A |
3/14 at No. 13 Mount Olive
|
| 20 | Saint Anselm | 1-0 | N/A |
3/14 vs. No. 15 LIU Post
|
ALSO CONSIDERED: Bentley, Florida Southern, Queens (N.C.), Rollins, Southern New Hampshire, Rockhurst, Tusculum, Wheeling Jesuit, Wingate
HOT
Colorado Mesa (+4)
The Mavericks scored five of the last six goals to upset Tampa and moved into the No. 4 spot in the rankings. Calen Ketcham leads the way with 16 goals and nine assists this season. Up next is a three-game Florida trip before starting its conference schedule.
Lenoir-Rhyne (+1)
The Bears continued a great season by knocking off then-No. 4 Belmont Abbey on Wednesday and following it up with a win over Wingate on Saturday. Lenoir-Rhyne now owns three wins over top 10 teams this season.
Limestone (+3)
It’s been a disappointing season so far for the Saints, but a win against Lindenwood over the weekend could be a spark for the rest of the season. The schedule eases a bit until the end of the month, giving Limestone a chance to gain some momentum after a poor start.
NOT
Tampa (-4)
The Spartans squandered multiple leads and lost their first game of the season, falling to Colorado Mesa. Andrew Kew was held scoreless on the day. Tampa has a tough week ahead of it with Belmont Abbey and Lindenwood approaching.
Belmont Abbey (-4)
All is not lost for Belmont Abbey, but a four-goal showing against Lenoir-Rhyne was a disappointment. The Crusaders don’t have a signature win on the resume yet, but they travel to Tampa on Wednesday looking for one.
NYIT (-8)
With losses in four of five games, NYIT is in danger of falling out of the rankings completely. Granted, the losses have all come to ranked teams. The Bears will have another chance to pick up a quality win against Pace on Wednesday.
NEW
Indianapolis
Save for a season-opening loss to Seton Hill, Indianapolis has been impressive thus far. With wins over solid teams in Wingate and Wheeling Jesuit, the Greyhounds moved into the No. 19 spot this week.
Saint Anselm
Thanks to losses from Rockhurst and Southern New Hampshire, Saint Anselm jumped back into the rankings. Then 19-2 win over Post opened the season, but things will be serious when LIU Post visits on Wednesday.
OUT
Rockhurst
Rockhurst had blown through its schedule until it met Colorado Mesa, a team that is playing some of the best lacrosse in the nation. The visitors fell 13-8 to their RMAC rivals, leaving them out of the rankings, for now.
Southern New Hampshire
The Penmen entered the rankings after a 2-0 start, but an eight-goal loss to Mercy pulled them back. Southern New Hampshire will meet Pace this weekend.