Massive shuffling of the deck with the entire country, including the Ivy League, in action. Not an easy homework assignment this week. The big game winners were Maryland, Richmond, Princeton, and Georgetown.
20) Fairfield
With wins over Lehigh and Brown, Andy Baxter has the Stags in the Top 20. Devin Lampron and Keegan Lynch are their top point producers. Goalie Owen Hirsch is at 63%, with opponents shooting just 21% as the defense allows only six goals per game. Fairfield has upcoming games with Sacred Heart and Manhattan before playing Providence on March 1.
19) Michigan
A 15-9 road victory over Hobart was engineered by a seven-goal fourth quarter. Aidan Mulholland and Jack Jenkins scored four goals apiece, while Will Byrne recorded his first hat trick as a Wolverine. Big Blue heads to Duke on Feb. 22.
18) Harvard
The Crimson beat Providence 12-10 on the road to open their 2025 campaign. Providence won 12 extra face-offs and went 1-7 with the extra man, hurting its own cause. Harvard’s Sam King dished out six helpers, and Teddy Malone scored four times. The Crimson travel to the Dome to play Syracuse on February 22.
17) Denver
The Pios won a blizzard game against Utah. They made a goalie change 2:59 in after their starter allowed three quick goals. The whiteout conditions suited rookie goalie Grayson Manning, who made 16 saves while allowing just five goals. Cody Malawsky led the Pios with seven points. DU faces high-scoring Cornell this Saturday (ESPN+). Pios won 17-16 a year ago at altitude.
16) Yale
Late-starting Ivy League teams are at a distinct disadvantage when debuting. The Bulldogs were in a charitable mood, committing 21 turnovers while clearing at just 62% in a loss to Nova—eight failed clears. Yale was (11-4) in 2024, failing to make the NCAA Tournament, and this loss may prove costly on Selection Sunday.
15) Villanova
The Wildcats defeated Yale 13-11 behind four goals from Matt Licata. They took 46 shots in a game that featured nine penalties. Nova is at Colgate on Saturday, where the high temperature is forecasted to be 22 degrees.
14) Virginia
For my game prep, I rewatched the spirited Wahoo 19-9 win over Colgate on February 8 and have to say it was less impressive to my eyes than the box score. Pedal to the metal, up-and-down, mistake-filled lacrosse—fun to watch for sure. But the Cavaliers got almost all their goals directly off face-offs, transition, or from the 10-man ride. Colgate tried to run with the Hoos.
UVA’s 6-on-6 sets were lousy at both ends. We like to look at box scores, but nothing is more valuable than seeing the game in person, on TV, or watching game highlights. Our eyes are our greatest weapon.
Richmond stung the Cavs in the mud by jumping up 4-0 in the first five minutes. Turnover city in Charlottesville. Settled offensive sets that at best can be labeled bland and stale. Richmond won the ground ball battles, won the clearing and riding components, and was much more efficient in half-court sets. Who is Virginia going to turn to from the midfield?
Cavs have a busy week with High Point on Tuesday and then Ohio State on Saturday. I would expect changes in personnel and strategy.
13) Richmond
A season-opening loss to Maryland was transformational. A great team goes back to work. Coach Dan Chemotti and company have reeled off consecutive wins over Robert Morris and Virginia. The win in Charlottesville was a program first and only the second Spider win over their in-state rival in 12 tries.
If you watched on ACCN, you saw a team with a plan—a group of players who balanced playmaking with clock and score implications, and a team that didn’t back down, winning the gritty ground ball plays.
Richmond has a very good defense with Hunter Smith, Mitchell Dunham (LH), and Michael Farrell down low. LSM and captain Tommy Stull was outstanding. SSDM Jack Pilling may be a future PLL pro. Goalie Zach Vigue was sharp and steady when the Cavs pulled within two in the fourth quarter. His work around the cage with GBs and clearing was A+.
Coach Chemotti makes the most of what he has, and while not flashy, Richmond capitalized on UVA mistakes and possessed the ball well. Their shooting was timely. Aidan O’Neil is the quarterback—a two-handed classic X attackman with a variety of moves up each hash. Gavin Creo played a great game in a complementary role, and Max Merklinger is highly skilled and makes good decisions.
Lucas Littlejohn, a Canadian hockey player, has had success hovering in the crease area and scoring on quick sticks and one-touches. Coach told us that depth was a strength, and that was apparent in the final 20 minutes.
Richmond and Saint Joe’s are once again on a collision course in the Atlantic 10 for the AQ. Richmond faces Lehigh next.
12) Penn
An 8-6 loss to Georgetown featured only 25 Penn shots, including just four in the fourth quarter. The Quakers, making their season debut, committed five turnovers and had two penalties in the fourth quarter, which stalled a comeback attempt.
Penn has multiple injuries at the FOGO spot. Goalie Emmet Carroll was terrific in defeat, using his combination of size and hand-eye coordination. It’s amazing how often, on severe angle shots from in tight, the goal was moved off its line by his shoulders or hips.
Penn plays Albany and Delaware this week.
11) Georgetown
An 8-6 win over Penn was a defensive battle that the Hoyas needed badly to remain in the at-large hunt. Effective dodging and shooting have been in short supply. Losing isn’t the worst thing in the world—failing to improve from a loss is.
Young Hoyas, who have clearly adopted a defense-first mentality, need to find or create some party starters as they step up to play ND in the swamp.
10) Duke
Winning is the most effective deodorant. It covers up what stinks about your team.
LSM Mac Christmas scored Duke’s first goal and broke a 7-7 tie with St. Joe’s to close the third quarter, helping the Blue Devils remain unbeaten. Christmas and company gave up four first-quarter goals but then only five in the final 45 minutes.
Andrew McAdorey led all scorers with three goals, while Terp transfer Eric Malever had a goal and three assists. FOGO Luke Engelke gave Duke possession from the dot, winning 14-of-19 faceoffs.
Coach John Danowski captured his 475th career win. He is 475-219 in his 42 seasons as a head coach. Think about 475 for a moment.
9) UNC
The Heels played hard in their win over Michigan, and that trait revealed itself again in a Friday night 9-4 win over Stony Brook.
Truly excellent teams can win games in a variety of ways—with offense or defense, with FOGOs or goalies being prominent, regardless of pacing, whether slow-down or up-tempo speeds. It was an ugly win, and that’s OK.
Carolina comes to Charm City to tackle Johns Hopkins on Saturday (ESPN+) in a compelling ACC vs. Big Ten matchup.
8) Army
The Cadets suffocated Rutgers to the tune of 9-3. Freshman Brayden Fountain scored four goals and added two assists. Goalie Sean Byrne had 10 saves and a goal with a 60-yard shot into the empty net during a 10-man ride.
A 10-man ride doesn’t work without direct pressure on the ball carrier. Cadets and Yale on Wednesday will be interesting.
7) Penn State
The Nittany Lions could not capitalize on a dozen extra faceoff wins and lost to Princeton in overtime. Matt Traynor took 15 of the team’s 38 shots and had five goals.
Tall freshman Hunter Aquino from Easton, PA, chipped in five points. Navy and Penn State play this weekend.
6) Johns Hopkins
The Jays are (4-0) after banking wins against Denver, Towson, Georgetown, and Loyola. They are the middleweight champs.
Saturday’s one-goal win at Loyola illustrates that the offense has a long way to go. Don’t confuse winning with playing well.
“We Want More” hosts North Carolina in a critical Big Ten-ACC game at Homewood on Saturday (ESPN+).
5) Syracuse
#HHH steamrolled Towson 18-7 on Monday night, displaying an elite level of passing, shooting, and dizzying stick-work reserved for Championship Weekend participants. Forty-five shots and just 10 turnovers. Orange cleared 20 of 21. They looked the part for sure.
Owen Hiltz had seven points, and Joey Spallina added six. Sam English is playing the Matt Abbott role. My only concerns would be twofold—the lack of bench scoring (2,1) and new goalie Jimmy McCool. He wasn’t bad but needs to tighten up his pipe-to-pipe movement and rebound control.
Otto came up shorthanded at Maryland on Saturday, losing 11-7. This offense is developing a habit of disappearing against blue-chip defenses. Legacy is attached to wins. Not social media hype. Not stats. Not flash goals. This game and last year’s quarterfinal loss to Denver raise serious questions. Why does the offense look so good against mid-tier teams, then sputter against others?
The Orange also needs to do a better job of game management and situational awareness. They seem casual at times with details that make a big difference in quality games. With SU and UVA dropping games on Saturday, it wasn’t a stellar day for the ACC. Harvard makes a rare trip to the Dome on February 22.
4) Cornell
An 18-10 road win at Lehigh was spearheaded by Michael Long (3,4) and CJ Kirst (5G) for a unit that assisted on 14 of its 18 goals. The Mountain Hawks (0-3) scored a season-high 10 goals. Big Red faces Denver on Saturday in Ithaca at 11 a.m. The high temp is expected to be 26.
3) Princeton
The Ivy champs began with an overtime thriller indoors at Penn State in a critical Ivy-Big Ten showdown. Goalie Ryan Croddick made 21 saves in dimly lit Holuba Hall. The Tigers overcame a -12 FO differential.
Colin Burns scored four times, and Coulter Mackesy began his Tewaaraton campaign with five goals. Princeton and Maryland, who met in the 2024 NCAA first round, play on Saturday.
2) Maryland
While at Maryland in his 15th season, John Tillman has never lost to Syracuse. The Terps silenced the Orange hype train 11-7 on a chilly Saturday afternoon.
Eric Spanos (2G, 2A), Daniel Kelly (2G), Bryce Ford (2G), and Braden Erksa (1G, 1A) led eight different goal-scorers in an improved effort a week after nearly being upset at Loyola. Maryland built the lead in the third quarter with a run. “Be the Best” has a difficult non-conference schedule that continues with Princeton this Saturday.
1) Notre Dame
Rudy ran away from Cleveland State on Wednesday night, 24-6. I was able to watch portions of the contest while preparing dinner. ESPN+ is the greatest.
Jake Taylor, a burgeoning real estate agent and the closer from the crease, had seven goals. Chris Kavanagh finished with nine points in an overall team performance that I would label sloppy. Jordan Faison did not play.
Ben Ramsey debuted as the bagpiper. Jake Vasquez, Logan Gutzwiller, Drew Wynocker, and Brady Pokorny scored career-first goals, which is special. Teams build at different rates. Growth, player development, and system installation vary by team.
Defender Shawn Lyght was my guest this week on the Quintessential Podcast. Irish bombarded Marquette 22-8 on their Midwestern concert tour. They look for revenge against Georgetown this weekend.
Q-Tips
A robust bunch of teams is clamoring for Top 20 consideration, including:
Delaware, BU, Navy, Towson, Colgate, Albany, Sacred Heart, Utah, Providence, Stony Brook, and Dartmouth.
Quint Kessenich covers college and PLL lacrosse for the ESPN family of networks and writes for LaxAllStars. Check out his weekly podcast at laxallstars.com in the media section.
