My Top 20 presented by SPIRE Lacrosse, always a treacherous exercise.
Quint Kessenich’s Top 20 presented by Spire
1) Duke
Devils are 3-0 with wins over unranked Bellarmine, High Point and St Joe’s. Brennan O’Neill scored six goals on 13 shots and transfer student Josh Zawada had six assists in the latest 19-10 victory. A combined 23 shot raucous first quarter saw Duke lead 6-5 before the game settled down. The Blue Devils defense held the Hawks to just five goals in the final three quarters. 2023 NCAA finalist hosts Jacksonville on Friday in Durham.
2) Notre Dame
Bagpipers dusted Cleveland State on Ash Wednesday indoors 25-3. Jordan Faison and Devon McClane (Brown) each had four points.
Statement Sunday at Marquette saw ND short circuit the scoreboard on their way to a commanding win indoors at Marquette. Starter Chris Kavanagh scored to make it 20-7 in the fourth quarter. In post Covid swollen roster D1 lacrosse, there are some backups who never see the light of day. Rosters are 55 or 60 deep. Sometimes there is no public payoff for being on the scout team. The final was 21-8. Irish offense is stronger in 2024 which is downright scary. Jordan Faison makes the group more dynamic.
Rudy hosts Georgetown on Sunday in South Bend. Chris Cotter and I will be in Indiana for ESPNU at 3pm.
3) Virginia
Pretty boy Cavs found themselves in the penalty box too often, escaping with a 14-10 win at Richmond. Peyton Cormier took 15 shots in pursuit of the school record and buried 3 goals. 15 shots. He got the record. Keep shooting big boy. Patrick McIntosh was back in the two-deep. Connor Shellenberger was his usual self with seven points and the unassuming Tufts transfer Jack Boyden added four points. The specialists – FOGO Anthony Ghobriel and Matt Nunes held up their end of the bargain. A 4-1 fourth quarter made the difference in front of a great crowd of over 4,000 in the River City, who enjoyed themselves at a lively tailgate.
Wahoo’s play Ohio State on Sunday at 1pm in Klockner. Buckeye’s defense looks stingy.
4) Maryland
Great win for the Terps in the Dome on Saturday night in a game that had me on the edge of my couch screaming at the television. This was a fantastic game. Big crowd. Strong team schemes and individual performances with drama and controversy…I thought it was awesome.
How can you not be impressed with Maryland specialists Luke Wierman and goalie Logan McNaney? These two plus close defender Ajax Zappitello will keep the Terps in every game. I was most impressed with Maryland’s improvement in their settled sets – the offense took a step forward from their 11-4 win over Loyola. Jack Koras was terrific. Braden Erksa showcased his blazing speed, a matchup problem from behind, at GLE or the wing. George “Goggins” Stamos nailed the game winner when the SU ride busted, failing to drop back and bump across the field against the Terp 4 across clear. Great moment for Stamos who is super reliable, an engineering student who wants to be a Navy seal.
Testudo passed the road test, pulling the bus back into scenic College Park at 3am on Sunday morning, well after last call at Bentley’s. Princeton visits Maryland next.
5) Syracuse
Otto got impressive outings from midfielders Michael Leo (3g) and Luke Rhoa (4g) while coming up a goal short in the thrilling overtime loss to the Terps.
Orange play a stand-alone five person man-down unit for that specialty situation. I like the personnel idea and their performance has been strong this season. But on Saturday night after a penalty was killed, that specialty EMD unit was caught on the field after the penalty and gave up a critical goal. Begs the question, can you play that man-down group late in a tight game?
In overtime, the refs made the correct call. I did not see substantial defensive contact with the diver. But I will admit that the goal mouth rule is awful.
The goal mouth was created to protect goalkeepers AND allow the dive. We need to ask ourselves if both are achievable without having moments like Saturday night.
Good call. Bad rule. The entire sport is being over-officiated right now. From face-offs, illegal hits, the new video review protocol and to the goal mouth rules.
Video review, an overreaction to one missed call in a semifinal game, is frivolous at best during the regular season. How can we possibly operate a rule enhancement that isn’t mandated and fully implemented? It’s an uneven rollout. The technology varies from venue-to-venue.
Each week I witness refs making an inconsistent multi-minute and non-releasable calls. By definition, is a slash to the helmet considered direct contact and worthy of a two-minute foul?
Lacrosse moves fast. It’s a difficult game to officiate. I have enormous respect for the officials who work these D1 games. I just think they’re being put in unenviable situations.
Without a doubt, we waste too much time talking, changing, explaining and complaining about the rules. This detracts from the game. We have different rules for varying levels of play. It’s a barrier of entry for new fans and creates division among followers of high school, college and pro. The game needs less complexity and less nuance.
#HHH hosts Utah on Wednesday.
6) Army
Black Knights defeated UMass in week one and pummeled Rutgers 16-7 on Saturday, winning every quarter. Evan Plunkett had six points and Jacob Morin finished with four points. This score is notable. Matt Chess got the start in net. Army was a quarterfinalist in 2023 and returns the bulk of their production.
“Keep the Change” plays Mercer this weekend.
7) Cornell
17-13 Big Red victory over Lehigh is a solid start considering that Penn, Brown and Dartmouth all lost this week. The Ivy League February 1 start date comes with a price.
Michael Long, who was injured throughout 2023, contributed seven points while freshman Willem Firth, wearing #51 and playing midfield, found the net four times. 296 fans in Ithaca enjoyed the snow flurries, frostbite and their first look at the squad. This offense could be special.
Cornell hops on a plane to Denver.
8) Denver
Offense woke up in a 16-8 win over Utah. DU lead 9-5 at half and finished with a 6-1 fourth quarter. Alec Stathakis won 18 of 26 face-offs. Michael Lampert, who was banged up in the Hopkins win, was assertive with five points. Malcolm Kleban made 14 saves.
Pioneers, and their shiny Mountain-scape artistic turf, welcome Cornell to campus on Saturday. This is a pivotal matchup between the Ivy and Big East.
9) Johns Hopkins
Jays blew open a 7-6 game in the early fourth quarter, finally finishing with authority in a 13-7 win over Charles Street rival Loyola. 4,200 fans, many of them dressed in green, brought the juice to this cross town battle. The game was fierce, chippy at times and drunk in the second quarter but Hopkins eventually wore down Loyola who lacked equivalent possession time. Hounds had 20 turnovers and went 1-7 with the extra man, yet held strong for 50 minutes with goalie Luke Stoudt. JHU quarterback Jacob Angelus, who was omitted from the Tewaaraton Watch list, scored seven points. The Blue Jay ride was effective, a positive wrinkle, which can make JHU a more complete team.
Hopkins learned to finish after collapsing in week one against Denver and staggering to the finish line against Georgetown. The Jays are improving and have more room to grow. This is a very good team. Can they be great?
“We Want More” travels to North Carolina on Saturday. These cross conference games between the ACC and Big Ten loom large on selection Sunday.
10) Penn State
Week zero loss to Colgate in the rear window as the Lions won 14-10 on the road at Stony Brook without TJ Malone. Matt Traynor and Mac Costin scored three times apiece.
“We Are” tangles with Navy this week.
11) Richmond
Competitive and close losses to both Maryland and Virginia shine a light on the Spiders as a potential league champion and NCAA tournament team. Goalie Zach Vigue made 17 saves in Saturdays setback to the Cavs.
Spiders dance with St John’s next.
12) Michigan
Wolverines hammered Canisius 21-5 playing 51 members of the roster, it was the bounce back you hope to see after the emphatic loss to UVA.
Maize and blue handled Hobart on Saturday 18-8 with a second half surge. Justin Tiernan scored five times and quickly has become the favorite target of Mikey Boehm.
Marquette and Michigan meet this weekend.
13) Harvard
Great start for the Crimson dispatching Providence with an 11-1 run in the middle of the game. Harvard was +17 in ground balls and +11 in face-offs. Graham Blake scored six goals, Sam King had 8 points and Teddy Malone scored five times. My general sense is that Harvard can make noise in the Ivy League, with Penn, Princeton and Yale dealing with inexperience or injuries.
Crimson have to deal with an experienced Bryant squad on Tuesday night at 7pm. Tuesday is for the hunter. This is one worth watching on the ESPN app.
14) Yale
Yale is dealing with significant injuries. Opening day win over Villanova spearheaded by six points from Matt Brandau accomplished without his attack mates Leo Johnson and Chris Lyons.
On Wednesday Colgate visits New Haven in what should be an outstanding test for both.
15) North Carolina
Heels picked up the tempo with a seven goal run in the third quarter against Fairfield and now get ready to host Hopkins in a critical game for both programs on Saturday. The duo of Dom Pietramala (five goals, two assists) and Owen Duffy (three goals, four assists) paced the Carolina offense to a 19-8 win at GT Prep.
16) Colgate
Impossible to deny the Raiders a spot in the Top 20 with a trio of wins over Penn State, Hobart and Albany. Rory Connor, Hunter Drouin and Jack Turner finding the back of the net. This team rides hard, they fight for ground balls and play a unique brand of half court defense. Their success may be the biggest story of February. Colgate’s improvement makes the Patriot League more compelling.
17) Ohio State
Bucks are 4-0 with mid tier wins over Utah, Cleveland State, Bellarmine and Air Force. They’ve given up just 24 goals and sport a defense that ranks high in all efficiency categories. Virginia is next.
18) Delaware
Hens are king of the CAA until proven otherwise. They took down St John’s 17-6 this week. Delaware visits Franklin Field on Saturday February 24. This is a pivotal game.
19) Bryant
12-6 win over BU grabs your attention. Bulldogs won their league in 2023 and may be stronger this spring.
20) Loyola
Losses to Maryland and Hopkins with a win over Georgetown has the Hounds clinging to Top 20 status. The student body showed up in mass at Hopkins. Face-offs and offensive punch need to be upgraded. Loyola hosts Rutgers this weekend in a game both programs need immensely.
On the radar
BU, Princeton, Penn, Drexel, Marquette, Georgetown
About Spire
SPIRE’S world class High School and Post Grad lacrosse program are ideal for serious lacrosse players looking for an intense training environment to prepare for the next level of competition. The academies sere college-bound high school student athletes, as well as high school graduates looking to train & compete for an additional year while seeking the best possible college scholarship opportunities. The High School Academy features a blended learning environment of college preparatory academies, along with unique personal development and career preparation features. PG students can earn college credit by taking two core classes per semester at Kent State – Ashtabula or online.
Twitter: @QKessenich
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Read last week’s rankings to see how things have changed!
