It was a week full of surprises in the Division III world, as action up and down the rankings caused some big movement.
Ithaca and St. Lawrence suffered their first losses of the season, tumbling out of the Top 5, with the Bombers falling to both Cortland and unranked Oneonta. In their place, Tufts moved up to No. 2, York climbed to third, and Cortland vaulted to No. 4, just ahead of Denison.
Salisbury continued to roll at No. 1, with coach Jim Berkman taking his 500th career victory during the week, and then No. 501 Saturday. After some close calls in February, the Gulls have outscored opponents 118-29 in their last five games.
Down the table, there are four new teams in the mix, as Bowdoin, Franklin & Marshall, Ohio Wesleyan, and Stevens all made the cut, replacing Clarkson, Frostburg St., Roanoke, and RPI.
April 3, 2017 |
W/L |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salisbury | 12-0 | 1 | 4/5 vs. Christopher Newport |
| 2 | Tufts | 9-0 | 3 | 4/5 vs. Williams |
| 3 | York | 12-1 | 5 | 4/5 vs. Wesley |
| 4 | Cortland | 8-0 | 9 | 4/8 vs. Brockport |
| 5 | Denison | 7-1 | 6 | 4/4 at Hiram |
| 6 | Dickinson | 8-1 | 7 | 4/8 vs. Haverford |
| 7 | RIT | 7-2 | 10 | 4/5 at No. 4 Cortland |
| 8 | St. Lawrence | 6-1 | 4 | 4/5 vs. Plattsburgh |
| 9 | Bates | 8-0 | 8 | 4/8 vs. Middlebury |
| 10 | Ithaca | 8-2 | 2 | 4/8 at Nazareth |
| 11 | Stevenson | 5-3 | 11 | 4/4 vs. Lycoming |
| 12 | Cabrini | 6-3 | 12 | 4/8 at Centenary |
| 13 | Amherst | 7-2 | 14 | 4/5 vs. No. 14 Wesleyan |
| 14 | Wesleyan | 7-1 | 18 | 4/5 at No. 13 Amherst |
| 15 | Franklin & Marshall | 7-2 | NR | 4/3 vs. Lebanon Valley |
| 16 | Gettysburg | 6-4 | 13 | 4/8 vs. Swarthmore |
| 17 | Ursinus | 7-2 | 17 | 4/8 vs. McDaniel |
| 18 | Stevens | 7-3 | NR | 4/8 vs. Houghton |
| 19 | Bowdoin | 6-2 | NR | 4/5 vs. No. 9 Bates |
| 20 | Ohio Wesleyan | 6-4 | NR | 4/4 vs. Wittenberg |
Also considered: Clarkson, Colorado College, Frostburg St., Lynchburg, Oneonta, Roanoke, Springfield, RPI, Union, Vassar
HOT
Cortland (+5)
An unbeaten record is one thing, but the Red Dragons didn’t have a signature win to propel them to the top tier, until they edged Ithaca in OT to start their week. Another test looms on Wednesday, as RIT comes calling.
Wesleyan (+4)
Only a one goal loss to still-unbeaten Bates in their opener stands between the Cardinals and an 8-0 mark. This week saw a convincing 13-4 victory over a Union team that has been flirting with the rankings (and defeated Clarkson this week in its other contest).
RIT (+3)
It appears that last week’s loss to then-unranked Clarkson woke the Tigers up. In games against Middlebury - which has been on the fringe of the rankings all season - and St. Lawrence, RIT was dominant. They more than doubled up the Panthers in a mid-week game, 28-12, and then handed the Saints their first loss of the year on Saturday, also in convincing fashion.
NOT
Ithaca (-8)
An OT loss against an unbeaten Cortland team wouldn’t have dropped the bombers far from their perch at No. 2… but then Saturday saw them fall in OT again, to unranked Stevens. It could be a momentary setback, or a sign that the stock was a little high on the Bombers, who had only defeated one team ranked in this week’s Top 20 before the start of the week.
Gettysburg (-3)
Wednesday’s loss to Franklin & Marshall snapped a 22-game Centennial Conference win streak for the Bullets, who are just one game above .500 with the final month of the regular season upon us. Their only win against a ranked team this season came last week against Ursinus.
NEW
Franklin & Marshall
A stunning win over Gettysburg capped a 6-0 March for the Diplomats after an 0-2 start. Defense was the key in the victory over the Bullets, as Gettysburg dominated at the X (16-8) and out shot F&M by a 40-29 margin. Goalie Scott Hatch finished the day with 12 saves.
Stevens
Junior Tommy Dawson was the hero for the Ducks in a massive upset win over Ithaca this week, striking the OT game-winner to cap a late comeback victory. They continue their Empire 8 campaign throughout April, with Houghton up first.
Bowdoin
On the fringe of the Top 20 for much of the season, the Polar Bears finally break through in this chaotic week. Only Ithaca and Amherst have gotten the better of them thus far, but another test looms this week with Bates coming to town.
Ohio Wesleyan
A 3-game slide earlier this season knocked the Bishops out of the rankings, but they claw their way back this week with a victory over Frostburg and a dominant 31-5 showing against Hiram. Their lone loss against a non-ranked team was a one-goal shootout against Illinois Wesleyan.
OUT
Frostburg State
Inconsistencies of the Bobcats’ successes cost them their spot at the table this week. Their victory over Cabrini earlier this season is still a very quality win, but close losses to York and Ursinus only carry much weight, so their loss to Ohio Wesleyan means they make way for time being.
Clarkson
A lopsided loss to Union leaves the Golden Knights back on the outside looking in. They’ve got a week of time to recover before taking on Vassar, which also nearly made the rankings this week.
Roanoke
The top tier of the ODAC appears fairly evenly matched this spring. Lynchburg just handed the Maroons a loss Saturday night, with Washington & Lee handing Lynchburg a loss earlier in the week. They’ll be taking on another 3-1 ODAC squad - Hampden-Sydney - this week.
RPI
A Liberty League loss to Vassar spelled doom for the Engineers this week in the rankings, dropping them to 5-3 and without a win against a ranked opponent thus far.