Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. Brown men stunned No. 5 Villanova on Tuesday in its 12-9 upset. It was the Wildcats' first loss of the season.
Villanova ended the first quarter with a 4-0 shutout of the Bears, then led by two at halftime and by one at the end of the third quarter. But Brown rallied a comeback, tying the score 8-8 on Brian Prigmore's tally with 12:33 left in the fourth.
Despite one more Villanova goal at the 9:37 mark, the Bears finished on top with a four-goal spurt led by sophomore Luke McCaleb’s two tallies, including the go-ahead and eventual game-winning goals. McCaleb led Brown with five points on a hat trick plus two assists.
COMEBACK COMPLETE!
— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAALAX) March 6, 2018
Brown charges back from a five goal deficit to upset No. 5 Villanova, 12-9. pic.twitter.com/nOtIRyUZ87
In other men's news, check out this behind-the-back pass to behind-the-back goal for Mercer.
Ummmm....
— Mercer M-Lacrosse (@MercerLacrosse) March 6, 2018
Behind the #NCAATop10 #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/7Buf9HX91D
Delaware, which has been receiving votes to appear in the national Top 20, unexpectedly fell to Mercer, which grabbed a 10-8 win over the Blue Hens behind Pascal Coombs’ hat trick and Matt Quinn’s four points. The Bears now stand at 2-3 on the season.
In NCAA women’s lacrosse action Tuesday, Ivy standout Cornell escaped unranked Colgate 11-10 in overtime thanks to Taylor Reed’s game-winner. Reed and Ida Farinholt tallied hat tricks, while Tomasina Leska had three points on two goals and one assist.
More Tuesday Division I Scores
No. 2 Albany 19, UMass 8 (M)
No. 16 Georgetown 13, Marist 6 (M)
No. 17 Penn State 16, Furman 5 (M)
No. 18 Penn 11, Navy 3 (M)
Cornell 18, Binghamton 2 (M)
Fairfield 9, Quinnipiac 6 (M)
Hobart 12, Colgate 11 (M)
Princeton 15, NJIT 8 (M)
St. John’s 12, Saint Joseph’s 7 (M)
UMass-Lowell 12, Providence 11 (M)
Wagner 9, VMI 8 (M)
No. 11 Navy 16, St. Joseph’s 11 (W)
American 17, Old Dominion 12 (W)
Campbell 20, Butler 9 (W)
Hofstra 13, Quinnipiac 4 (W)
Penn 16, Drexel 11 (W)
Columbia 14, Radford 11 (W)
Lehigh 16, VCU 10 (W)
HIDDEN BALL TRICK ALERT @UAlbanyMLax blows out @UMassMLacrosse 19-8 thanks to this move and 12 points from Connor Fields. Tehoka Nanticoke finishes with 5G and 3A. (via @LaxSportsNet) pic.twitter.com/IGbhsYoP1A
— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) March 6, 2018
"They're a work in progress." A scary thought on @connorfields14 and @Tehoka1 from @UAlbanyMLax Coach Scott Marr for the rest of @NCAALAX after the duo combined for 20 points in 19-8 win over UMass. Full interview: https://t.co/53h9EKGw10 pic.twitter.com/6ImI403J4M
— Lax Sports Network (@LaxSportsNet) March 7, 2018
2. First, it’s the West. Then it’s the world.
Our March cover story shares the real significance of the inaugural Pac-12 women’s lacrosse season, which debuts Friday when Stanford visits Colorado.
“This is a huge moment for D-I lacrosse,” Cal coach Brooke Eubanks said. “The conference will be able to unite the top talent from the East all the way to the West.”
The conference’s six teams – Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Oregon, Stanford and USC – will benefit from the Pac-12’s national footprint, which provides exposure, funding, rivalries and growth.
3. Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott is excited for the start of the Pac-12 season. With two high school-aged children who play lacrosse, you don’t need to sell him on the sport.
“This will be the first year it’s an official Pac-12 sport with a championship,” he said. “It’s a big commitment on the Pac-12 Network. It’s a very exciting time to add a new Pac-12 sport and to have six strong programs that are going to debut for us.”
He talked to US Lacrosse Magazine in an exclusive Q&A.
4. Loyola women’s lacrosse is on a “revenge tour,” using last year’s disappointing ending as fuel for the fire.
“Losing in the Patriot League final, and not making the NCAA tournament, it has to fuel them,” Adams said. “Navy was such a great side. It was an eye-opener. It was [our players'] fuel to get them ready over break and prepare for something special this year.
“It can be misconstrued that we’re throwing around the thought of a revenge season. It’s a revenge tour for ourselves, for Loyola, to light the fire for us.”
Greyhounds coach Jen Adams said its first two losses of 2018, including a 17-16 overtime loss to Florida, were “learned wins” while its 16-15 overtime win over Penn State for its first of the year was an “earned win.”
5. The world is coming to Israel when Netanya hosts the 2018 FIL World Championship in July. The event organizers hope to raise the bar.
“We want people to remember our country and this world championship as the best one ever,” said Scott Neiss, executive director of the Israel Lacrosse Association.