In a flash, March lacrosse is here.
The turn of the calendar means that NESCAC lacrosse is back, and that’s where some movement happens in this week’s update to the Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Men’s Top 20. Look no further than Wesleyan, while Bates has dropped out of the bubble pack with Matt Chlastawa, one of the country’s top attackmen, still absent.
Elsewhere, the top of the ranking is relatively static, as the top eight teams haven’t changed. But there’s a newcomer out of the MAC Freedom and plenty of top-20 showdowns on the horizon.
Here’s how everything’s shaping up, though the first few weeks of the D-III season have revealed how quickly things can change.
Nike/US Lacrosse
Division III Men’s Top 20
March 2, 2020 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salisbury | 4-0 | 1 | 3/4 at No. 20 Stevens |
| 2 | RIT | 3-0 | 2 | 3/7 vs. Clarkson |
| 3 | Williams | 1-0 | 3 | 3/4 at No. 10 Union |
| 4 | Amherst | 2-0 | 4 | 3/7 at No. 5 Tufts |
| 5 | Tufts | 1-0 | 5 | 3/3 at Springfield |
| 6 | Cabrini | 3-0 | 6 | 3/7 Ithaca |
| 7 | Denison | 3-0 | 7 | 3/7 at DePauw |
| 8 | York | 3-1 | 8 | 3/4 at No. 12 Gettysburg |
| 9 | Ursinus | 4-0 | 10 | 3/4 at Montclair St. |
| 10 | Union | 2-0 | 9 | 3/4 vs. No. 3 Wesleyan |
| 11 | Wesleyan | 1-0 | 12 | 3/4 at Coast Guard |
| 12 | Gettysburg | 3-1 | 11 | 3/4 at No. 8 York |
| 13 | Franklin & Marshall | 2-1 | 15 | 3/7 at Messiah |
| 14 | St. Lawrence | 1-0 | 16 | 3/4 vs. No. 16 Cortland |
| 15 | St. John Fisher | 1-1 | 13 | 3/5 vs. Misericordia |
| 16 | Cortland | 1-0 | 20 | 3/4 at No. 14 St. Lawrence |
| 17 | Stevenson | 1-2 | 14 | 3/7 at No. 18 Christopher Newport |
| 18 | Christopher Newport | 3-1 | 18 | 3/4 vs. Eastern |
| 19 | Lynchburg | 1-3 | 17 | 3/7 vs. Bridgewater (Va.) |
| 20 | Stevens | 3-1 | NR | 3/4 vs. No. 1 Salisbury |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Colorado College, Dickinson, Elizabethtown, Illinois Wesleyan, Middlebury, Rhodes, RPI, Washington & Lee
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
Hot
Cortland (+4)
A marquee New York matchup nears, as the Red Dragons host St. Lawrence in a SUNYAC-Liberty League showdown on Wednesday. The 2006 and 2009 national champions are brimming with confidence after last weekend’s 15-6 win over Maritime in which Terrence Haggerty, Dante Yacavone and Zak Jones all recorded hat tricks. That game was thrown a curveball, as weather prompted a move from Cortland to Union College in Schenectady, N.Y.
Franklin & Marshall (+2)
The Diplomats have rebounded from an early-season loss against Lynchburg with resounding wins over Susquehanna and Washington & Lee. The Kevin Mollihan show is on full display, too, as the senior attackman bagged his 202nd career goal to draw even with McDaniel alumnus Tom Brown for the Centennial Conference goals record. They’ll have one more test Saturday against Messiah before heading to the Mustang Classic, where games against Stevenson and Ohio Wesleyan await.
Wesleyan (+1)
The season is only one game old for the 2018 national champion, but Wesleyan impressed Saturday in a 13-8 NESCAC win over Bates. Tom Martello and Ronan Jacoby each scored four goals, and Zach Zavalick went 19-for-24 on faceoffs. All-American goalkeeper Otto Bohan was solid between the pipes. A trio of winnable non-conference games now await Wesleyan before returning to NESCAC action against Colby on March 14.
Not
Stevenson (-3)
The Mustangs are 0-2 in Centennial Conference games after last weekend’s 10-5 loss to Gettysburg. They scored the game’s first two goals against the Bullets but couldn’t hold on in their home opener. The MAC Commonwealth powerhouse went just 6-for-19 on faceoffs, 1-for-8 on man-up opportunities and couldn’t solve the puzzle of Gettysburg goalkeeper Scott Macmillan (18 saves).
Lynchburg (-2)
The Hornets opened 2020 with games against four top-20 teams, and they’ve started 1-3. The latest setback was a 14-7 loss against York, with the game essentially decided by halftime when the visitors opened a 12-4 lead. Lynchburg is expected to take care of business this weekend against Bridgewater (Va.), but then another gauntlet awaits in mid-March when Christopher Newport and St. Lawrence serve as Mustang Classic opponents.
In
Stevens (No. 20)
So far, the Ducks are 2-1 against Centennial Conference opponents and have knocked off traditional NEWMAC stronghold Springfield. Much of the credit goes to junior attackman Ryan Gebhardt, a returning All-American who has a team-leading 21 points, and the leadership provided by All-American defenseman Daniel Crotty. That’s all well and good, but now Stevens welcomes top-ranked Salisbury on Wednesday.
Out
Dickinson (previously No. 19)
A hot start from the Red Devils has sputtered, as last week included back-to-back losses against Elizabethtown and Cabrini. Senior goalkeeper Cole Pellicano has been extremely busy, and the offense only managed five goals on Saturday when facing the 2019 national champion Cavaliers. This weekend’s trip to face Roanoke isn’t easy, though a bounce-back win would go a long way before the Mustang Classic.