We are in the thick of it as games continue to gain more momentum as the season goes on. As we enter the fourth full week of the season, the lacrosse landscape is beginning to take shape. Teams that we thought would be great preseason (Loyola, Lehigh, Bryant) have fallen out of the polls while Jacksonville, Michigan, and Boston have proven that this year is different.
One of the best parts of college lacrosse is the growing storylines that change from week to week. Sometimes it’s teams feeling like they have something to prove, coaches returning to old stomping grounds, or specific players on a mission that week. Regardless, we have handpicked seven games to be on the lookout for this weekend.
Looking ahead to a big Saturday of lacrosse, here are seven games and storylines to watch.
Seven Division 1 Saturday Storylines
#11 Cornell vs #6 Ohio State
12:00pm ESPN+
Cornell is off to a strong start at (3-0) but have yet to play a currently ranked team. Look for the Buckeyes to assert some physical dominance in this one on their way to 5-0.
#16 Michigan vs #17 Delaware
12:00pm BTN+
Michigan returns home after a gutsy road win and look to extend their winning streak to 7. The Blue Hens will be the biggest test of the season thus far, in a game that will give us all a better idea of just how good the Wolverines really are.
#7 North Carolina vs #19 Denver
12:00pm ACCNX
Denver has underperformed to this point at (3-2) but they have the offensive firepower to overwhelm UNC’s inconsistent defense. Along with great face-off play to counter Tucci and Tyeryar, the Tar Heels are officially on upset alert.
#10 Duke vs (RV) Richmond
12:00pm ACCNX
Like fellow SOCON rival High Point, the Spiders always play Duke tough. The Blue Devils are the clear favorite, but they’ve had lapses this season and have shown they can be vulnerable. Look for this one to be close until late in the game.
#3 Georgetown vs #18 Princeton
12:00pm FLO
The Hoya’s are a wagon but no one knows how good the Tigers are just yet. They rolled through two teams that they should have before losing to Maryland by just 5 goals, in a game where they were a bit short handed. Don’t be surprised if this one is way closer than the sportsbooks think (Georgetown -3.5).
#7 Notre Dame vs #1 Maryland
2:00pm ACCNX
Maryland is the better team today, but I think this game is a coin flip later in the season. My reasoning, the Irish need more time to hit their stride while Maryland hit the ground running from game one.
(RV) Penn State vs #5 Penn
4:00pm
UPenn should dominate this game, but that’s exactly what we said about Yale last week and look what happened. The Nittany Lions are a team that when everything goes well can hang with top 10 teams, but on an average day, they’re more like a 20-25 ranked team. Which Penn State team do we get Saturday?
