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Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:

1. Holy Cross upset host Navy 11-7 in the Patriot League men’s lacrosse quarterfinals Tuesday, the Crusaders’ first-ever postseason victory and just their second-ever win over the Midshipmen.

Seniors Sean Kirkpatrick and Kevin Lux combined for 11 points, as Holy Cross dominated possession time and took advantage of the Midshipmen’s 22 turnovers on a rainy day. The Crusaders scored four straight goals during a three-minute, 34-second stretch in the fourth quarter to turn a tenuous 6-5 lead into a commanding 10-5 advantage. They will play top-seeded host Loyola at 4:30 p.m. (Eastern) in the first Patriot League semifinal Friday, followed by Boston University, a 10-4 winner over Lehigh in Tuesday’s other quarterfinal, and Army at 7:30 p.m.

Navy had defeated archrival Army, then ranked in the top five in the country, to keep its season alive and was coming off of a nine-day layoff.

Don’t look now, but Brown has won three straight games and seven of its last nine after defeating Bryant 14-12 on Tuesday.

In Division III, No. 17 Stevens blanked No. 14 Stevenson in the second half, turning a 5-2 halftime deficit into a 7-5 victory Tuesday, the Ducks’ eighth straight win.

2. The Federation of International Lacrosse tweeted early Wednesday morning that the 2018 FIL Men’s World Championship has been relocated to Israel, with more information expected in the coming weeks. The event originally had been scheduled to return to Manchester, England, where it was played in 2010.

3. Former Major League Lacrosse MVP Brendan Mundorf has retired.

Mundorf, who ranks second in MLL history with 291 goals and fourth with 420 points, led the Chesapeake Bayhawks with 42 goals last year after missing the entire 2015 season while recovering from microfracture surgery. He spent seven seasons with the Denver Outlaws, earning MLL MVP honors in 2012, before being traded to the Bayhawks in 2014.

“There is no question that Brendan is one of the greatest players in MLL history,” said Bayhawks coach Brian Reese, who drafted Mundorf as the Outlaws general manager. “When Brendan was at the top of his game, he was virtually unstoppable. He was an extremely dangerous dodger and an outstanding distributor.”

Mundorf, a 2006 UMBC graduate, also played on two U.S. teams (2010, 2014) and on the 2006 Australian national team, as well as five pro indoor seasons in the National Lacrosse League. He cited work and other commitments as reasons for his retirement.

“I just cannot get to the gym often enough to work out the way I need to work out in order to be in peak physical condition,” he said. “I realized I would only be cheating myself and my teammates if I continued to play when I was not at 100 percent capacity, both physically and mentally.” 

4. This week’s Nike/US Lacrosse High School Boys’ National Top 25 and Regional Top 10 rankings reveal geographic parity. St. Ignatius (Calif.) vaulted to No. 8 with a Long Island sweep of Garden City (N.Y.) and Chaminade (N.Y.), while Brother Rice (Mich.) also made headlines with its win over Victor (N.Y.), snapping the Blue Devils’ 50-game winning streak.

Mount Sinai (N.Y.) was the biggest mover on the girls’ side, defeating nationally ranked Christian Brothers (N.Y.) and Bayport-Blue Point (N.Y.) to rise to No. 9 in the Nike/US Lacrosse High School Girls’ National Top 25.

5. US Lacrosse announced the fields for the WCLA National Championships. Pittsburgh is the No. 1 seed in the Division I tournament, with Denver Club holding down the top spot in the Division II bracket. The games will be played May 10-13 at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City, Utah. Both finals will be streamed live for free on CoachesAid.com.

6. Kyle Gallagher, a freshman faceoff specialist for the Hofstra men’s lacrosse team, broke his neck last August after accidentally diving into shallow water. Remarkably, just months removed from spinal fusion surgery, he’s not only playing, but also playing a significant role for the nationally ranked Pride.

7. Patrick Stevens’ Bracketology reveals plenty of upside to Rutgers, which despite not qualifying for the Big Ten tournament could still qualify for its first NCAA tournament since 2004. A win over Ohio State would clinch it.

WHAT WE’RE READING

  • Another vivid portrayal of Harlem Lacrosse, conveyed by Cody Zehring for Hudl.

  • North Carolina-bound Jamie Ortega has more than 500 career points during her six-year varsity career at Middle Country (N.Y.). If the name sounds familiar, her older sister, 2015 U.S. U19 team and current Notre Dame standout Nikki Ortega, also surpassed the 500-point mark in high school.

  • Onondaga Community College, ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA men’s lacrosse poll, is well on its way to finishing back on top after its reign ended in 2016. The Daily Orange delves into the history of the program and the expectation to win national championships.

  • Temple women’s lacrosse is one of 752 high school and college athletic teams participating in Friends of Jaclyn, the organization that pairs the teams with children diagnosed with brain tumors.  The nonprofit was founded in 2005 after the Northwestern women’s lacrosse team adopted Jaclyn Murphy as an honorary player.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

It’s a Rock, Paper, Scissors redux.

In October, a video of the Dayton and Western Michigan club teams playing the popular zero-sum hand game to settle an exhibition game went viral.

On Tuesday, the Oneonta and Morrisville State men’s teams resorted to the same device, and it was equally as awesome.

Erin Jollotta, senior captain of the Army women’s team, will attend flight school after graduating, setting her on a path that both of her parents followed — including her father, a Black Hawk pilot who flew the Combat Search and Rescue team during a mission to rescue two top lieutenants out of capture in Somalia in 1993.

 

And finally, here’s a fun look behind the scenes of the 75th anniversary celebration of Drexel men’s lacrosse.

WHAT’S ON TAP

  • Adelphi hosts NYIT in a top-10 Division II men’s lacrosse encounter on Long Island.

  • PSAC women’s lacrosse has been entertaining as ever. That should continue with No. 15 West Chester hosting No. 11 East Stroudsburg in Division II women’s action.

  • Bates, ranked No. 1 in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Men’s Top 20, looks to wrap up perfect regular season against Colby, while Tufts looks to stop bleeding at Bowdoin in NESCAC action. No. 12 Dickinson and No. 15 Franklin & Marshall also meet in a battle of Centennial frontrunners.

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