A great weekend of lacrosse across both Divisions as we saw some surprising results. One of the biggest takeaways being Limestone lacrosse showing that despite the coaching changes, this team is legit. Colleges are inching closer to Spring Break which also means conference play is not too far ahead. Some interesting matchups across the country that gave us some great results.
Coaches Poll: USILA
D3 Weekend Recap
Ohio Wesleyan (17) – Centre (10)
Simply a dominant win by OWU. While it was close in the first half, the Bishops blew it open in the second. The key to this match came down to turnovers and the clear as OWU had only 7 turnovers and held the Colonels to 13-23 in the clear. Centre was able to gain some ground back by winning the faceoff battle, but for a first game, OWU looks like they may be the best of the NCAC this year.
#6 Christopher Newport (19) – #20 Hampden Sydney (7)
A dominant win by CNU as the doubled up HSC in shots and ground balls. CNU looks poised to continue to build towards their showdown with Salisbury that will have major implications on the NCAA tourney. One bright spot for HSC was their man down unit that was able to hold CNU scoreless in seven chances on the day. HSC is a dangerous team that plays a tough early schedule to help prepare them for the gauntlet that is the ODAC.
#2 Salisbury (11) – #15 Gettysburg (6)
The score of this match looks closer than it actually was in this one as Salisbury cruised out to an 8-0 lead into the third quarter before Gettysburg was able to get on the board. Salisbury controlled the faceoff X and was able to use that to their advantage to help build their lead and suffocate the Bullets.
D2 Weekend Recap
#8 Limestone (13) – #10 Lindenwood (8)
Another nice win for the Saints against an always tough and often underrated Lindenwood team. The big news this week was Lindenwood announcing its transition to Division 1 which dominated the headlines for most of the week. The questions people had surrounding the Limestone lacrosse program and their coaching change this season have quickly been answered as it looks like the Saints are a threat to make a run in the SAC this season. It will be interesting to see how far this Limestone lacrosse team can go this season, but this win certainly is a good sign of what may come.
#17 Lewis (15) – Maryville (13)
A huge win for Lewis coming off a tough loss to Mercyhurst. Maryville has been a team that has been in and out of the top twenty for the past two seasons, so this was no easy task for the Flyers. Maryville had control of the game for the first three quarters, but a 4th quarter charge from Lewis allowed them to take control of the game and walk away with the win even though they were almost doubled up in shots.
#4 UIndy (11) – #14 Seton Hill (7)
Seton Hill came out on fire in this one and completely controlled the 1st quarter while jumping out to a 5-0 lead. From there though it was all Greyhounds as UIndy went on a run themselves to tie the score at halftime and then ran away with it in the 2nd half. The key to this game came down to the man down unit of UIndy which held Seton Hill scoreless in five chances.
#1 Le Moyne (10) – #7 Mercyhurst (9)
A defensive chess match that ultimately came down to the final possession to decide the game. Whenever these two teams get together fans will most certainly be entertained. It came down the hustle stats as LeMoyne held a 30-20 advantage in groundballs. Don’t be surprised to see these two playing again in May with a trip to championship weekend on the line.
