Gettysburg proved bullet proof when it mattered most.
The Bullets recovered from a double-overtime loss to Franklin & Marshall in the Centennial Conference final to complete a 5-0 run through the NCAA tournament, resulting in their second national championship. They did it with their signature defense, holding Salisbury to two goals in the quarterfinals and Trinity to four in the semifinals, and with timely scoring by youngsters, using an equalizer by freshman Courtney Patterson and the championship-winner by sophomore Steph Colson with 2:57 to play to erase a 5-4 deficit to TCNJ in the final.
Each of Gettysburg's three defeats came by a single goal.
The Lions spent the majority of the season in the top five. Washington and Lee did as well once it got there, and Trinity nearly reached its sixth consecutive NCAA championship game.
May 31, 2017 |
W/L |
Prev |
Note |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gettysburg | 21-3 | 11 | Won program’s second national championship |
| 2 | TCNJ | 19-2 | 3 | Reached NCAA final for 18th time in program history |
| 3 | Washington and Lee | 19-2 | 2 | Started season unranked |
| 4 | Trinity | 17-5 | 10 | Had streak of five straight title-game appearances snapped |
| 5 | William Smith | 20-2 | 1 | OT loss in quarters to W&L prevented first final four since 2003 |
| 6 | Middlebury | 16-5 | 12 | Reached NCAA quarterfinals for sixth time in seven seasons |
| 7 | Salisbury | 16-6 | 15 | CAC champ reached NCAA quarterfinals for 16th time |
| 8 | York | 16-4 | 13 | Set program record for wins and reached NCAA quarterfinals for second time in three seasons |
| 9 | Brockport | 16-3 | 9 | Set program record for wins in a season |
| 10 | Messiah | 16-3 | 5 | Took eventual national champs to overtime in season opener |
| 11 | Colby | 15-4 | 4 | Lack of hotels near campus sent NESCAC champs to Middlebury for NCAAs |
| 12 | Franklin & Marshall | 17-5 | 8 | Centennial champ lost by 1 at Trinity in NCAA round of 16 |
| 13 | Ithaca | 14-5 | 16 | Made program’s best NCAA tournament run, reaching round of 16 |
| 14 | Cortland | 14-5 | 6 | 19 straight SUNYAC championships |
| 15 | St. John Fisher | 15-5 | 7 | Late yellow card doomed Cards in 5-4 loss at York in NCAA second round |
| 16 | Catholic | 14-5 | 17 | Was within one goal of W&L before four-hour storm delay in 9-6 round of 16 loss |
| 17 | Hamilton | 12-6 | 14 | Dropped 7-5 home game to Salisbury in NCAA second round |
| 18 | Colorado College | 15-5 | NR | Tied program record for wins and scored more goals vs. William Smith (18-13 Heron win in round of 16) than any team had since 3/28/16 |
| 19 | Claremont-Mudd-Scripps | 16-2 | 18 | Athenas went 2-1 on road at NESCAC schools |
| 20 | Wesleyan | 11-6 | 19 | Set program records for wins and NESCAC wins (7) and qualified for first NCAA tournament |
Also Considered: Cabrini, Farmingdale State, Mary Washington, Meredith, Oberlin, Rhodes
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Gettysburg (+11)
The Bullets shrugged off the Centennial Conference title-game loss by shutting down opponents in the NCAA tournament, surrendering just 17 goals in five games (3.4 goals per game). They even led TCNJ at the half, 4-1, before the Lions got hot and scored four straight.
NOT
Colby (-7)
The Mules arguably got a tough assignment after a lack of available hotels nearby meant they could not host first- and second-round games. The NESCAC champs were sent to league rival and defending national champion Middlebury, whom they had vanquished twice already this season. But the adage that foretells the difficulty of beating a team three times in a single campaign proved true, as the hosts ended Colby's terrific season, 10-9.
NEW
Colorado College
The Tigers lost at regional rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the regular season and had to travel to the Athenas again for an NCAA second-round game. They turned the tables, then put a scare into host William Smith for 40 minutes before the Herons pulled away late, 18-13.
OUT
Denison
The Big Red earned a home game against Brockport in the second round but got stymied by the Golden Eagles, 17-7. Denison can take solace in knowing it kept conference rival Oberlin out of the tournament by handing the Yeowomen their only two losses of the season.