The theme of this weekends game was the weather. Frigid temperature forced postponements and cancellations in the Midwest, while snow squalls caused some disruption to games in the northeast.
The major disappointment of the weekend had to be the cancellation of the Ohio Wesleyan and Illinois Wesleyan game. Hopefully we’ll see that game get rescheduled this season. The argument for a universal start date for lacrosse most likely got a few more supporters after this weekend. Games are in full swing across both divisions and this weekend saw some nail biters going down to the wire.
Coaches Poll: USILA
D3 Weekend REcap
Denison (9) – Baldwin Wallace (6)
Believe what you want, but the fact is that the OAC has some scary teams in it and Baldwin Wallace is one of them. While they didn’t come away with the win, any coach can see that this is not a team you want to play. The Eric Koch era opens up with a gritty win.
In mostly even game the difference was the 3rd quarter for the Big Red as they came out of half-time on a four goal run that gave them the separation they needed.
Christopher Newport (14) – Randolph Macon (12)
A five goal run in the 3rd and 4th quarter erased a halftime deficit for CNU in a game that many people didn’t think would be as close as it was. A Gritty win on the road that came down to the hustle stats as CNU controlled ground balls and did a good job at the faceoff X that allowed them to get control of the game in the 2nd half.
Watch out for RMC, a team that has never been an easy out and often over looked because of the talent in jam packed ODAC.
Roanoke (14) – Catholic (12)
A tale of two weeks for both teams. A tremendous bounce back win for the Maroons who took one on the chin last week against CNU. Catholic has a tremendous group that will no doubt use this as a valuable learning lesson going into the rest of their schedule. The stat that jumps out here is the Man-Up for Catholic as they went 0-8 on the day. A better day on the extra man and maybe they walk out of Roanoke with another big win.
D2 Weekend Recap
Limestone (12) – Florida Southern (11)
The Mocs stormed into Gaffney and almost took one away from the Saints who look like they’re back to the their old ways. This is a Florida Southern team that has no shortage of talent and has been playing the role of Road Warriors early in the season.
A mostly even game that came down to the specialty situations for the Mocs. Some missed opportunities on Man Up and in the clearing game that gave the Saints the edge down the stretch. A tremendous gesture prior to the game by Limestone in honoring FSC coach and Limestone Alumni Marty Ward by having a moment of silence in honor of his grandfather’s recent passing. A small gesture that may have been overlooked by some, but one of the many reasons this game is so great.
Tampa (13) – Lenoir-Rhyne (8)
A huge win for the Spartans in this NCAA rematch from a year ago. The JB Clarke era has started off in spectacular fashion and should put Division 2 on notice.
Regardless of the fact this was a February game, Tampa wanted to send a message and to walk out of Hickory with a win against a talented LR team has to give them good momentum moving forward. A 5-0 run blew open the game for the Spartans, but the major difference in this game was their ability to control possession through the faceoff X.
Le Moyne (15) – Wingate (11)
A playoff atmosphere was on display in this game as both teams were looking to stake their early season claim on Division 2. A chippy game that saw a combined 21 penalties between both teams was the theme for the day.
While Wingate’s Man Down Unit held Le Moyne to a 1-13 day, the fact that they almost spent an entire quarter man down will make it difficult for anyone to win a game. Factor that with Le Moyne controlling the middle of the field at the draw, it was a tough go for the Bulldogs who will no doubt be in the mix for a title run come May.
