The usual suspects — for the most part — got the job done this weekend and have set the stage for what should be a tremendous Division III Men’s Lacrosse Elite Eight. Here’s what we’re looking at this week:

Christopher Newport vs. Lynchburg
York vs. Tufts
Salisbury vs. Illinois Wesleyan
Colorado College vs. RIT

We also said goodbye to some solid bids; Franklin & Marshall was sent home, Cabrini didn’t stand a chance against Salisbury and Stevenson’s woes finally caught up with it.

Tufts has kept rolling, dominating Babson before taking down a strong St. John Fisher team. Centre made a good bid with an upset over Denison before falling to a dominant Colorado College squad.

Lots of interesting notes this week, and the next round is sure to be just as intriguing.

Best game
York vs. Franklin & Marshall

York has been on a tear lately, and the Spartans did a tremendous job holding a good Franklin & Marshall offense to just nine goals in a 13-9 win.

A lightning delay early on easily could have thrown the teams off their pace. The score was knotted at 8 when players had to leave the field with 3:29 left in the third quarter. By the time they came back, though, the York defense was ready to shine.

From that point on, the Spartans offense held F&M to just one tally. Ryan Kennedy, York’s top defender, held Luke Keating to just two assists, both of which come at the start of the third quarter.

Jack Michael made 13 saves and stopped any hope of a F&M comeback late in the fourth.

Biggest surprise
Christopher Newport vs. Stevenson

Perhaps Stevenson’s conference championship game loss, a stunning shutout, should have opened our eyes a bit more. Christopher Newport has been playing great lacrosse for a bit now, too, but holding the Mustangs to five goals is still nothing short of shocking.

The Captains held Stevenson the Stevenson offense at bay and outscored the Mustangs 8-2 in the second half after a tight first 30 minutes to win 10-5.

Alex Brendes and Colby Auslander, both sophomores, were the offensive leaders for the Captains. Brendes put up six points and Auslander had four of his own. Defensive midfielder Aiden Wheeler nabbed three ground balls and three caused turnovers as he harassed the Mustangs offense.

Perhaps the Captains haven’t gotten the same type of attention they’ve deserved for a few weeks, but they’re starting to look scary. This is as defining of a win as any team will get this postseason.

Best individual performance
Jarrett Bromwell, Salisbury

Much like their early season matchup, the Seagulls played like they didn’t belong on the same field as Cabrini. In the 16-5 win, Bromwell made his presence felt. With seven goals on 11 shots, he created nearly half the offense on his own. 

The Seagulls offense looks unstoppable, between arguably the best attack unit in the country and Bromwell, an elite midfielder well on his way to being an All-American at midfield.

By the Numbers

179

The number of goals Tufts has scored in just seven games this season.

16

The different point-getters for RIT in its 25-6 first-round win over Cortland.

60

The number of shots generated by Colorado College in a 19-6 second-round win over Centre.

8

The number of fourth-quarter goals for Centre in its stunning 12-11 first-round win over Denison.

30

The number of goals Salisbury put up on SUNY Poly in the first-round. Sheesh.