We’ve reached the conclusion of the Division II men’s lacrosse season, and fans will be treated to another intriguing matchup between two of the sport’s top teams.
Lenoir-Rhyne will make its first national title game appearance Sunday in Hartford, Conn., facing off against six-time champions Le Moyne at Rentschler Field. The third-ranked defense (Le Moyne) in Division II will got to battle against the second-ranked offense (Lenoir-Rhyne) in the country.
How did we get here?
Le Moyne fought through a test from Mercyhurst in the Division II final four, holding on for a 11-9 victory. Matt Hutchings dropped seven points to lead the Dolphins to their 10th national title game.
Lenoir-Rhyne jumped out to an early lead and coasted to its second win of the season over Wingate, this time by a score of 18-10.
Let’s break it down:
Best Game
Le Moyne-Mercyhurst
The lead-up to the Division II semifinal was palpable — the top offense in the country heading to Upstate New York to face one of the stingiest defenses in the game. Which team’s strength would win out?
Mercyhurst looked like the better team in the first quarter of Sunday’s matchup. Nicholas Mabe and Nathan Grenon each scored to give the Lakers the early 2-0, before Le Moyne answered with three straight goals entering the second quarter.
Grenon and Kueber each struck in the second quarter, which saw Mercyhurst take a 5-4 lead despite 13 turnovers. The Lakers were in command thanks to a 10-1 faceoff margin.
After gave the Lakers a two-goal lead, Le Moyne responded with a six-goal run to take a commanding 10-6 lead with 10:33 left. Hutching had a goal and four assists in the game-sealing run.
Mercyhurst scored three straight goals in the fourth quarter, but wasn’t able to claw back. The Lakers won 19 of 23 faceoffs, and picked up 36 ground balls, but the Le Moyne defense held strong.
Biggest surprise
Mercyhurst Offense
Mercyhurst entered the matchup with Le Moyne averaging a Division II-best 19.43 goals per game. The Lakers knew they’d be tested by a defense like the one the Dolphins’ boasted, but the gameplan went about as well they could have hoped.
Led by 19 faceoff wins from Caleb Kueber, Mercyhurst held possession for much of the game against Le Moyne. However, the extra possession did not translate to shots — Le Moyne won that battle 36-27.
Instead, the Lakers were hurt by 21 turnovers, including 13 in the first half. Caleb Kueber, the nation’s leading goal scorer, managing one goal and two assists in the losing effort.
Best Individual Performance
Eric Dickinson, Lenoir-Rhyne
Dickinson picked a great time to have his highest goal-scoring total of the season, tallying six goals in an 18-10 rout of Wingate in the NCAA semifinals.
Lenoir-Rhyne’s all-time leading scorer has dropped seven goals in the first two matchups with the Bulldogs, but saved his best for the biggest game in program history.
He scored two straight goals in the third quarter to help Lenoir-Rhyne pull away from Wingate for the final time. Now, he’ll get the chance to show his skills in the biggest game in his Bears’ career.
Numbers of note
29
Combined wins between Le Moyne and Lenoir-Rhyne heading into the national title game. The Dolphins and Bears were truly the two most dominant teams in Division II men’s lacrosse this season.
4
Times that Le Moyne has allowed double-digit goals so far this season, including two matchups with Adelphi and an overtime win against Bentley.
202
Goals scored by Lenoir-Rhyne’s Eric Dickinson, making him just the sixth Division II player to reach the milestone.
4
Wins by Lenoir-Rhyne in its first season back in 2011 — when Greg Paradine took the helm of the newly founded Bears’ program. Now, Lenoir-Rhyne enters the national title game with just two losses in its last 23 games.