What a wild week it was! Two important games went to overtime, and who doesn’t love free lacrosse?
One of the best parts of Division II lacrosse is that once the season gets rolling, you end up with great midweek matchups. Conference alignment and proximity of opponents makes top-20 midweek matchups a common thing, and as a fan you can’t beat it! This week had no shortage of great games and upsets across the country, and we’ll no doubt see a shift in rankings this week.
QUEENS AND MOUNT OLIVE CLUTCH UP IN OT
Queens 13 – Wingate 12 (OT)
Call it an upset. Call it a rivalry win. Whatever you call it, just know that it’s another chapter in a great rivalry between the two Charlotte schools. A huge win for the Royals that will no doubt see them move up in the rankings and refocus the Bulldogs after they let a fourth quarter lead slip away. Wingate had an advantage in most statistical categories except the one that mattered most, and they lost their first game of the season. A great overtime win for Coach Panos at Queens that puts it in a good position going into the rest of conference play. The SAC is on a path to cannibalize itself with just over a month left to go.
Maryville 11 – Rockhurst 8
One thing is for sure: Maryville is moving up the rankings this week. Seemingly flying under the radar, it’s been able to find itself playing the role of underdog and taking out ranked opponents early in the season. This game saw it jump out to an 8-1 lead on a Rockhurst team that nearly came back in the fourth quarter. While it is early in the season, you can’t help but be impressed with the progression of the Maryville team under its first-year head coach Scott Stark. The GLVC is only getting stronger, but we’ll see where Maryville stands in two weeks after it plays U Indy back-to-back followed by a trip to Lindenwood.
Mount Olive 11 – Colorado Mesa 10 (OT)
Hats off to Colorado Mesa. To make this trip with what’s going on around us is amazing. This was a great midweek matchup between two programs that get some love but usually fly under the radar (unless you bring up the JWU Denver game). This was another game where you saw one team have a lead slip away and end in an overtime loss. Mesa jumped out to a halftime lead and looked like it was in the drivers seat, but the Trojans wouldn’t go away. Coach Murphy’s teams play with a ton of poise and toughness, and they dug down deep to win a top-20 game. Keep at eye on Mount Olive as the year goes on. It’s making a habit of winning close games, and it’ll need more of that if it wants to make a run at the Conference Carolinas championship.
Lindenwood 16 – U Indy 9
A week after U Indy upended a top-15 Rockhurst, it again found itself playing the No. 15 team in the country (Lindenwood). A 10-goal first half by the Lions provided the cushion they needed to keep the Greyhounds at bay. This game has major implications in the GLVC as both teams try to build their records before playing current conference No. 1 Maryville.
Coming Up
Next week, we’ll see the NE10 open up and see the rest of DII open up their schedules as we inch back to normalcy. As fans, we hope for as many overtime games as possible. Maybe we’ll get lucky again next week.
One thing that will be tough to see is an ECC schedule without NYIT on it. With LIU Post rebranding and going DI and NYIT shutting down athletics, it feels like we’ve seen an era come to an end for DII lacrosse. Gone are the Post, Adelphi, and Tech rivalries. Northern Boulevard will never be the same. Here’s to hoping the powers that be come to their senses and we see the Bears again sometime in the future.
Catch Up on DII Lacrosse
Last week, Florida Southern Coach Marty Ward explained the complex history of D2 lacrosse.
