Want yet another piece of evidence about how it’s hard to make sense of this season?
Here goes: With two weeks to go in the regular season, there are only four teams left with undefeated records — in conference play.
Penn (Ivy) has already clinched the top seed in the Ivy League tournament, and Penn State can do the same in the Big Ten on Sunday against Johns Hopkins. Delaware (Colonial) and Mount St. Mary’s (Northeast) have yet to absorb a loss in their respective conferences, as well.
But that’s it. Last year, six teams completed their regular season league schedules without a defeat (though, in fairness, only UMass managed to add a conference tournament title as well).
About the only consensus for the 2019 season is Penn State still belongs at No. 1. The Nittany Lions maintain that spot in the Nike/US Lacrosse rankings for the third consecutive week after shredding Michigan 17-7 on Saturday.
Nike/US Lacrosse
Division I Men’s Top 20
April 15, 2019 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Penn State | 10-1 | 1 | 4/21 vs. No. 16 Johns Hopkins |
| 2 | Yale | 8-2 | 2 | 4/19 at Albany |
| 3 | Maryland | 10-2 | 4 | 4/20 at No. 8 Ohio State |
| 4 | Duke | 10-3 | 6 | 4/20 vs. Marquette |
| 5 | Penn | 7-3 | 7 | 4/20 vs. Dartmouth |
| 6 | Loyola | 9-3 | 3 | 4/20 at No. 18 Army |
| 7 | Virginia | 9-3 | 5 | 4/16 vs. VMI |
| 8 | Ohio State | 8-2 | 8 | 4/20 vs. No. 3 Maryland |
| 9 | Syracuse | 8-3 | 12 | 4/20 at Navy |
| 10 | Cornell | 8-4 | 9 | 4/20 at Brown |
| 11 | Notre Dame | 6-5 | 10 | 4/20 vs. North Carolina |
| 12 | Denver | 7-4 | 14 | 4/20 vs. Providence |
| 13 | High Point | 10-2 | 13 | 4/20 at Bellarmine |
| 14 | UMass | 8-4 | NR | 4/20 vs. Fairfield |
| 15 | Towson | 7-4 | 11 | 4/20 at No. 20 Delaware |
| 16 | Johns Hopkins | 6-5 | 15 | 4/21 at No. 1 Penn State |
| 17 | Boston University | 9-4 | NR | 4/20 vs. Holy Cross |
| 18 | Army | 9-3 | 18 | 4/20 vs. No. 6 Loyola |
| 19 | Villanova | 7-5 | 16 | 4/20 vs. St. John's |
| 20 | Delaware | 10-2 | NR | 4/20 vs. No. 15 Towson |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Air Force (8-4), Georgetown (9-4), Lehigh (8-5), North Carolina (7-5), Rutgers (6-6)
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Syracuse (+3)
The Orange will happily take the week it just stitched together — a 13-8 midweek defeat of Cornell in its regular season Carrier Dome finale, followed by a 12-9 victory at North Carolina to close out ACC play.
Syracuse never trailed against Cornell, building a seven-goal lead before the Big Red got a couple back in garbage time. A few days later, the Orange held North Carolina scoreless for 26 minutes while pulling away in Chapel Hill. John Desko’s bunch has won six out of seven heading into Saturday’s regular-season finale at Navy.
NOT
Towson (-4)
The parity in the Colonial Athletic Association generally instructs observers to never be surprised at an outcome. It’s OK, though, to be startled at how an outcome was reached, and that’s especially true of Towson’s no-show in the first half against UMass on Saturday.
The final score — the Minutemen won 14-10 — is not indicative of Towson’s early struggles, nor are the Tigers’ shot advantage (52-34) and their turnover edge (eight to the Minutemen’s 16). UMass led 10-2 at the break, needing just 15 shots on goal to build that edge, and as a result the Tigers no longer reside in first place in the CAA. At 7-4, a team that spent time at No. 1 earlier this season isn’t an NCAA tournament at-large certainty (if needed) anymore.
Loyola (-3)
The inability to completely put Georgetown away on Tuesday might have been a sign the Greyhounds were headed for a lull of some sort. They couldn’t be expected to play as well as they did two weekends ago against Lehigh, but they went into their trip to Boston University a bit weary and then were shellacked 18-11 by the Terriers.
Loyola can still claim the Patriot League regular season with victories at Army and Lafayette to close out the regular season, but the most important thing at this stage is getting right for May. A defense that surrendered 14 and 18 goals in two games last week still needs some work before the postseason.
Villanova (-3)
The Wildcats’ four-game winning streak is over after a 16-13 loss at Georgetown — a setback that didn’t look likely when Villanova bolted to a 5-1 lead after a quarter. Michael Corrado’s team is the latest to learn the Hoyas are capable of scoring goals in bunches against just about anyone.
Still, Nova sticks around the top 20, largely on the strength of victories over Yale and Denver. The Wildcats still have the inside track on the top seed in the Big East tournament. It’s theirs if they close out the regular season with defeats of St. John’s and Providence.
IN
UMass
The Minutemen bounce right back into the top 20 after a one-week absence thanks to their exceptional performance against Towson. UMass also controls its own destiny in the CAA regular season title hunt; if it defeats Fairfield and Delaware at home in the next two weeks, it will play host to the CAA tournament.
Boston University
Well, that will get your attention. The Terriers’ attack thoroughly carved up Loyola in an 18-11 rout, with James Burr (five goals, four assists), Timmy Ley (five goals, one assist) and Chris Gray (four goals, four assists) shredding the Greyhounds.
Impressive as those numbers are, Quintin Germain’s work on Loyola star Pat Spencer, who was held to an assist while committing four turnovers, ranks as one of the top defensive performances of the season. The Terriers are a worthy addition to the top 20 and close out their home schedule Saturday against a spunky Holy Cross team.
Delaware
One of six Division I teams with two losses or less (the others are High Point, Maryland, Penn, Penn State and Yale), the Blue Hens sit alone atop the Colonial Athletic Association after toppling Hofstra 13-7. Charlie Kitchen had four goals and five assists while Matt DeLuca added a season-high 18 saves for Delaware, which at 10-2 is off to its best start since 1999.
OUT
Lehigh (previously No. 17)
On second thought, maybe it wasn’t such a great thing that the Mountain Hawks got to play a midweek game right after getting drubbed at Loyola. Lehigh tripped up at home with a one-goal loss to Robert Morris, then knocked off winless St. Bonaventure over the weekend. The Mountain Hawks resume Patriot League play Saturday, facing Bucknell in Bethlehem.
North Carolina (previously No. 19)
Saturday’s 12-9 loss to Syracuse was the third setback in four games for the Tar Heels (7-5), who need a strong finish to have any chance at avoiding missing their second consecutive NCAA tournament. That starts with Saturday’s trip to Notre Dame, followed by the ACC tournament (which begins in Chapel Hill on April 25).
Rutgers (previously No. 20)
Sunday night’s 16-13 loss to Maryland dropped the Scarlet Knights to 6-6, though it didn’t look like that’s how things would go for much of the evening. Rutgers led 9-4 late in the first half and enjoyed a considerable possession advantage, but the Terrapins dominated the final 35 minutes to earn the victory. If Rutgers is to maintain its NCAA tournament hopes, it probably has to beat Michigan on Saturday.