The Division II men’s lacrosse season is now in full force. The busiest week of the 2021 campaign wrapped Sunday, and we had a number of pivotal conference matchups between ranked teams.
Where do we start?
No. 2 Le Moyne is knocking on the door of the top spot, topping Adelphi in a double-overtime thriller before following it up with an overtime victory over Bentley. The frantic finish against Adelphi might be the best of the college season.
Meanwhile, Mount Olive avenged an earlier loss to Belmont Abbey by topping the Crusaders mid-week in a Conference Carolinas matchup. Limestone, a former Conference Carolinas foe, also got past Belmont Abbey over the weekend.
In another rematch, Rockhurst broke away from a tight game with Indianapolis to create a logjam at the top of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
The most high-profile game of the weekend, though, was a non-conference tilt between then-No.3 Mercyhurst and then-No. 4 Mercy. Dominic Scorcia dropped six goals to give Mercy the major win and a rankings flip.
Now, it’s time for the dust to settle (at least for a few days) and to make sense of the rankings.
Nike / US Lacrosse
Division II Men’s Top 20
April 19, 2021 |
W/L |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tampa | 6-0 | 1 | 4/24 vs. No. 17 Lynn |
| 2 | Le Moyne | 8-0 | 2 | 4/21 vs. Saint Rose |
| 3 | Mercy | 6-0 | 4 | 4/20 at St. Thomas Aquinas |
| 4 | Mercyhurst | 9-1 | 3 | 4/24 at Lake Erie |
| 5 | Seton Hill | 6-1 | 5 | 4/21 vs. No. 14 Frostburg |
| 6 | Wingate | 10-1 | 7 | 4/20 at SAC Tournament |
| 7 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 11-1 | 8 | 4/23 at SAC Tournament |
| 8 | Adelphi | 5-2 | 6 | 4/24 vs. Assumption |
| 9 | Lindenwood | 8-1 | 10 | 4/24 vs. No. 16 Indianapolis |
| 10 | Mount Olive | 10-1 | 12 | 4/19 at CC Tournament |
| 11 | Saint Anselm | 8-0 | 13 | 4/21 at American International |
| 12 | Limestone | 9-3 | 16 | 4/20 vs. Anderson |
| 13 | Colorado Mesa | 6-1 | 14 | 4/23 vs. CSU Pueblo |
| 14 | Frostburg | 5-1 | 15 | 4/20 vs. Davis & Elkins |
| 15 | Rockhurst | 7-3 | 19 | 4/24 at No. 18 Maryville |
| 16 | Indianapolis | 7-2 | 11 | 4/24 vs. No. 9 Lindenwood |
| 17 | Lynn | 5-1 | 17 | 4/24 at No. 1 Tampa |
| 18 | Maryville | 7-3 | 18 | 4/24 vs. No. 15 Rockhurst |
| 19 | Belmont Abbey | 8-4 | 9 | 4/22 at CC Tournament |
| 20 | Queens (N.C.) | 7-4 | 20 | TBD |
Also considered: Bentley, Florida Southern, Florida Tech, Newberry, Pace, Rollins, Saint Leo
HOT
Limestone (+4)
Weeks ago, Limestone had fallen out of the rankings following a loss to Newberry. Now, the Saints are the hottest team in Division II, winning four straight games, including two over ranked opponents (Queens and Belmont Abbey). Limestone’s defense has held opponents to just over eight goals per game during the streak.
Rockhurst (+4)
Rockhurst has rallied off four straight GLVC victories to move into a tie for third in the conference standings. It allowed just 22 goals in wins over Davenport, Quincy, Lewis and Indianapolis (holding Indy to a season-low five goals). Rockhurst’s defense sits 11th in the country, allowing 7.78 goals per game.
NOT
Belmont Abbey (-10)
The Crusaders had a tough week, dropping just 13 goals in two losses to Mount Olive and Limestone. The Belmont Abbey offense was hot entering the challenging week, but it sputtered when it mattered the most. The 11-6 loss to Mount Olive sealed the second seed for Belmont Abbey in the Conference Carolinas tournament. Will the two teams meet again this weekend?
Indianapolis (-5)
A season-low five goals against Rockhurst lead to a second GLVC loss for the Greyhounds, who now sit in sole possession of second place in conference. Indy has scored 14 goals in the last two games leading into a pivotal matchup with Lindenwood on Saturday.