What a week in Division II men’s lacrosse. With a small sample size in this young 2019 season, it seems no team is safe in the Top 20 — save for the defending champion, Merrimack, which has yet to start its year.
In total, three top 10 teams were upset last week, with NYIT falling victim twice in the span of four days in Florida. Le Moyne and Seton Hill also lost over the course of the last week, giving rise to teams like Mercy and Lynn who have been knocking on the door of the elite for a few seasons.
New to the rankings this week is a Palm Beach Atlantic team in its second season as a program, but fresh off its biggest win. It remains to be seen how long the Sailfish can remain in a Top 20 that seems very much in flux so far in 2019.
Chaos is upon us, Division II lacrosse fans.
Feb. 18, 2019 |
W/L |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merrimack | 0-0 | 1 | 2/23 vs. No. 20 NYIT |
| 2 | Adelphi | 1-0 | 3 | 2/23 at No. 16 Saint Leo |
| 3 | Limestone | 3-0 | 7 | 2/23 vs. No. 13 Mercyhurst |
| 4 | Belmont Abbey | 3-0 | 8 | 2/20 at North Greenville |
| 5 | LIU Post | 1-0 | 6 | 2/23 vs. No. 14 Saint Anselm |
| 6 | Mercy | 2-0 | 15 | 2/20 at Georgian Court |
| 7 | Tampa | 1-1 | 9 | 2/23 vs. No. 15 Lenoir-Rhyne |
| 8 | Le Moyne | 0-1 | 2 | 2/23 vs. No. 12 Seton Hill |
| 9 | Lynn | 1-0 | 18 | 3/2 vs. Colorado Mesa |
| 10 | Mount Olive | 1-0 | 11 | 2/20 vs. Coker |
| 11 | Indianapolis | 2-0 | 19 | 2/23 vs. Lincoln Memorial |
| 12 | Seton Hill | 2-1 | 4 | 2/23 vs. No. 8 Le Moyne |
| 13 | Mercyhurst | 1-0 | 14 | 2/23 at No. 3 Limestone |
| 14 | Saint Anselm | 0-0 | 13 | 2/23 at No. 5 LIU Post |
| 15 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 0-2 | 10 | 2/23 vs. No. 7 Tampa |
| 16 | Saint Leo | 2-1 | 12 | 2/23 vs. No. 2 Adelphi |
| 17 | Pace | 0-0 | 17 | 2/23 vs. Dominican |
| 18 | Lindenwood | 2-0 | 20 | 2/18 vs. Walsh |
| 19 | Palm Beach Atlantic | 3-1 | N/A | 3/2 vs. Wingate |
| 20 | NYIT | 0-2 | 5 | 2/23 at No. 1 Merrimack |
Also Considered: Bentley, Colorado Mesa, Florida Southern, Florida Tech, Lake Erie, Queens (N.C.), Rollins, Wingate
HOT
Limestone (+4)
Limestone sure is looking like Limestone again. Coach J.B. Clarke insisted the team still had work to do after upsetting Lenoir-Rhyne to start the season. But a follow-up 18-7 victory over 2018 NCAA runner-up Saint Leo last week made it seem like the Saints were ready to primetime once again. Two ranked wins by a combined 21 goals.
Lynn (+9)
Could this be the year Lynn makes the jump into the NCAA field? It got a strong start last week, dismantling then-No. 5 NYIT 19-5. It’s arguably the biggest win in Fighting Knights’ program history. Xander Consenza and Caleb Wells each had five goals to help bury the Bears.
Mercy (+8)
Equally as impressive as Lynn, Mercy took down then-No. 2 Le Moyne 10-7 at home. Bobby Chillanis dropped four goals and goalie Ryan Gibbons had 19 saves to secure the best win in program history. Mercy is 2-0 for the first time in two seasons.
NOT
NYIT (-15)
The start to the 2019 season couldn't have been worse for the Bears, who fall to 0-2 after losses to Palm Beach Atlantic and Lynn. It’s not just the loses, but the manner in which they happened. NYIT fell to PBA by six goals and followed with a 14-goal setback to Lynn last week.
Lenoir-Rhyne (-5)
The Bears fell to Limestone to start the season, and followed it with another setback to Belmont Abbey over the weekend. It’s the first time Lenoir-Rhyne has started 0-2 since it lost to the same teams in 2016. The schedule doesn’t get easier, as it will meet Tampa this coming weekend in what is now a huge game for both teams.
IN
Palm Beach Atlantic
The Sailfish picked up their biggest win in the young history of the program, topping NYIT 17-11 on Valentine’s Day. Former NYIT offensive coordinator Stephen Tempone picks up a big win over his former program.
OUT
Wingate
The Bulldogs started slow again Mercyhurst and couldn’t recover in a 14-8 loss. Wingate falls out of the rankings for this week, but beating Palm Beach Atlantic coming up could move it right back in come next week.