Welcome to the Gameday Guide.
Every weekend during the college lacrosse season, US Lacrosse Magazine staff will riff here on the juiciest matchups, trendiest topics, biggest storylines and hottest takes.
The marquee game of the weekend pits No. 1 Penn State against No. 3 Yale in State College, Pa., in an NCAA semifinal rematch.
TEN TO WATCH
All times Eastern
Day |
Time |
Away |
Home |
TV/Stream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat | 12 p.m. | No. 3 Yale | No. 1 Penn State | BTN |
| Sat | 12 p.m. | Princeton | No. 2 Virginia | ACCN |
| Sat | 12 p.m. | Rutgers | No. 13 Loyola | PLN |
| Sat | 12 p.m. | Ohio State | Bucknell | PLN |
| Sat | 1 p.m. | No. 9 UNC | No. 14 Hopkins | ESPN3 |
| Sat | 2 p.m. | No. 10 Penn | No. 8 Duke | |
| Sat | 2 p.m. | Villanova | No. 17 Hofstra | LSN |
| Sun | 12 p.m. | Richmond | No. 5 Notre Dame | ACCNX |
| Sun | 12 p.m. | Robert Morris | Jacksonville * | |
| Sun | 1 p.m. | No. 7 Army | No. 6 Syracuse | ACCNX |
* at US Lacrosse in Sparks, Md.
televised games in bold
[Nike/USL Division I Men’s Top 20]
GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 3 Yale at No. 1 Penn State
It’s unfair to say this is Penn State’s first real test, but that’s how badly the Nittany Lions dismantled respectable opponents in Villanova (which just upended No. 4 Maryland on Tuesday) and Saint Joseph’s (which downed a Delaware team that was receiving top-20 consideration).
Alas, here come the Bulldogs, the only team to get the better of Penn State last year. They did so twice, with Nittany Lions comebacks falling short during the regular season (a 14-13 Yale win in New Haven) and in the NCAA semifinals (a 21-17 Yale win in Philadelphia).
Faceoff star TD Ierlan is the single-most important factor here. He tilts the field so heavily in the Bulldogs’ favor. In the two games, Ierlan went a combined 53-for-70 (75.7 percent). That’s despite Penn State trotting out a two-time All-American in Gerard Arceri. Ierlan is just that much better than almost anyone.
Kyle Gallagher, currently of Penn, and Trevor Baptiste, formerly of Denver, are seemingly the only ones out there who can consistently counter Ierlan.
UPSET WATCH
Princeton at No. 2 Virginia
Richmond at No. 5 Notre Dame
Richmond is not at all a stretch here.
The Spiders pulled off this very feat last year, edging Notre Dame 9-8. They also had Maryland on the ropes in the season opener Feb. 8. They’ve since defeated Marist (which subsequently subdued red-hot Army) and Navy.
South Bend is the first of three straight road trips for Richmond, which has a breakout candidate in Richie Connell (11 goals in three games).
As for Princeton? Well, it took a 24-save performance from Patrick Burkinshaw for Virginia to hold off Michael Sowers and company last year, when the Cavaliers escaped New Jersey with a 12-11 overtime triumph.
Sowers seems to have elevated his game to another level, which is rather unfathomable. The Tewaaraton finalist is already a quarter of the way to a 100-point season just two games into the season.
BEST GAME NO ONE’S TALKING ABOUT
Robert Morris vs. Jacksonville
Shameless plug: We’ll have a front-row seat here at US Lacrosse as the Colonials and Dolphins square off in the only Division I men’s game this spring at Tierney Field.
The last two times Robert Morris played in Maryland, the Colonials invoked chants of, “Let’s go, Bobby Mo,” giving the Terps all they could handle in the 2018 NCAA tournament and then picking up a pair of dramatic Northeast Conference tournament victories last May at Mount St. Mary’s.
Jacksonville responded well to a season-opening loss to Detroit Mercy, defeating Marquette 11-9 in Milwaukee last Saturday. Freshman Jacob Greiner broke out for five goals and two assists in the win.
This is the teams’ first meeting since 2015.
MILESTONE WATCH
Charlie Kitchen’s scoring streak
Charlie Kitchen, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound attackman for Delaware, has scored at least one goal in 35 consecutive games dating back to April 15, 2017. It’s the longest active streak in the country and tied with Virginia’s Chris Bocklet for the 15th-longest in Division I history. The all-time record? 56 games. Syracuse’s Tom Marechek (1989-92) and Johns Hopkins’ Terry Riordan (1992-95) share the No. 1 spot.
The Blue Hens, coming off of an 11-8 loss at Saint Joseph’s on Tuesday, are at Monmouth on Saturday.
UNDER-THE-RADAR STARS
Jonathan Donville, Cornell: Jeff Teat might not have Clarke Petterson as a running mate anymore in Ithaca, but that should only open up more touches for Donville, the honorable mention All-Ivy midfielder who scored a career-high five goals in the Big Red’s season-opening 19-10 win over Albany. Cornell plays at Towson on Friday, then has a neutral-site game against High Point at Calvert Hall (Md.) on Sunday.
Braden Host, Air Force: That 17-save performance in a season-opening upset at Duke was no fluke. Host made 20 saves in a loss to Denver and 15 more in a close win over Utah. The Falcons will face Cleveland State and St. Bonaventure in the Pioneer Face-Off Classic.
Kyle Kology, Virginia: The one-time walk-on emerged as a starter last season. With Cade Saustad still working his way back from an injury, now he’s the leader of the defense. Kology certainly looked the part with five caused turnovers and seven ground balls in a 12-8 win over Lehigh.
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