Today we see one of the biggest match ups of the year in Loyola versus Maryland. There are teams looking to get their first win of the season, keep their undefeated seasons alive, and some trying to bounce back. Take a look at what’s going on around the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse world today:
Loyola (2-0) vs. Maryland (2-0) 1pm – #1 vs. #2. A rematch of the 2012 NCAA Championship game, where the world saw the Greyhounds dominate the Terps in a crushing 9-3 victory. Two big differences from 2012 is the neither team has their top scorers from last year, Joe Cummings (Md) and Eric Lusby (Loyola). Maryland is averaging 19.5 goals a game so far, while Loyola obtains only 11.5. Of course, between these two teams, numbers mean nothing because anything is possible. This will be the game of the year as Coach Toomey’s team looks to defend its trophy and Coach Tillman and the Terps seek revenge.
Stony Brook (1-1) vs. Virginia (2-0) Noon – Dom Starsia’s Cavaliers are looking to rebound this year after an early exit from NCAA play in 2012. So far, they have done a good job, beating Drexel 13-12 in OT and downing VMI 18-4. The Seawolves had a rocky start, dropping their season opener to Marist and bouncing back to pick up a win against Lafayette. It has always been a battle between these two teams when they met and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Stony Brook give UVa a run for their money.
Air Force (2-1) vs. Canisius (0-0) Noon – Air Force has played three games so far, where as Canisius hasn’t competed in a game yet. The Falcons lost to UNC but came back strong against High Point and Rutgers. Golden Griffins Coach Randy Mearns could have the upper hand by being able to scout Air Force and figure out their weaknesses. On the other hand though, the Griffs could be in for a long day as Coach Seremet’s team has had experience and fixed a lot of problems already. Who do you think has the upper hand in this game?
Mount Saint Mary’s (1-1) vs. Delaware (1-2) Noon – After beating High Point to start 2013, Delaware has lost back to back games by a score of 9-8 both times to Bucknell and Loyola. The Blue Hens took the defending champs all the way to the final four seconds before they lost. Mount Saint Mary’s was embarrassed by Maryland 23-6, but woke up in their next game against Bucknell and took home a big 12-11 win. There’s no doubt that this game will go into the final seconds, but who comes out victorious, well, that’s for the players to decide.
Robert Morris (1-1) vs. Detroit Mercy (0-2) Noon – The Colonials are led by freshman midfielder Eric Rankel with 9 points (6G, 3A). They lost to Bellarmine 9-8 and then responded by defeating UMBC 12-9, which was a big win for the program. Detroit Mercy stands at 0-2, losing to Ohio State 14-8 and Navy 11-7. These two teams met in 2011 and the Titans watched Robert Morris walk out of Titan Field with the win. This year, Detroit has the chance to return the favor.
Brown (0-0) vs. Quinnipiac (0-0) 1pm – It’s the season opener for both teams. In 2012, Brown captured a 12-7 victory. The Bobcats travel to to Bears this year and will look to avenge last seasons loss.
Dartmouth (0-0) vs. Colgate (2-0) 1pm – Colgate survived an early season acre, going to OT against Bryant. Luckily they survived and won 14-13. Next was Vermont and the Raiders picked up their second win of the season. Dartmouth opens up 2013 against the 2-0 Raiders. The Big Green put up a fight last season, only losing 9-6. Key to the game for Dartmouth, shut down Baum, but they also have to be mindful of Matt Clarkson and Jimmy Ryan. Both can score and step up if Baum is in trouble as we saw against Bryant.
Drexel (0-1) vs. Albany (1-0) 1pm – The Great Danes had a major upset last weekend against Syracuse, beating the Orange 16-15. Big contributions came from the Thompson trio, Lyle 8 points (2G, 6A), Miles 5 points (3G, 2A) and Ty with five goals. Drexel got the short end of the stick, losing to Virginia in OT 13-12. The Dragons are hungry but the Great Danes are on fire.
Hofstra (1-0) vs. Princeton (0-0) 1pm – Princeton opens 2013 on the road, traveling to Long Island. Hofstra already has a game and a win under their belt, topping Sacred Heart 14-9. The Tigers routed the Pride in 2012, 12-6. Fiorito is no longer in cage for Princeton, and with Hofstra already gaining experience this season, could we see the Pride take home the win?
Johns Hopkins (2-0) vs. Michigan (0-2) 1pm – This is the first ever meeting between the two clubs. Hopkins took down Siena and Towson so far this season, only letting up six goals in each matchup. The Wolverines are looking for their second win since becoming a varsity level sport last season. They will have their hands full with a strong transitioning team in the Blue Jays.
Manhattan (0-2) vs. Lafayette (1-1) 1pm – Lafayette started 2013 strong, overcoming Georgetown 11-10, and then unfortunately losing a heartbreaker to Stony Brook 12-10. Manhattan has not won a game since April 3 of last season and are on a six game losing streak, including the last four games of 2012. They averaged 6.3 goals and letting up 12.3 goals in those four losses at the end of last season and are continuing to struggle, scoring and average 7 goals a game and letting up 14.5. As we’ve seen in many games, anything is possible. Can the Leopards boomerang from their loss or will we see the Jaspers pick up their first win in almost a year?
Ohio State (2-0) vs. Marquette (0-0) 1pm – Marquette’s first varsity program game is this afternoon as they take on the 2-0 Buckeyes from Ohio State. Coach Myers was happy with the win against Jacksonville in the Moe’s Southwest Grill Classic, but wasn’t impressed with his teams performance overall, mentioning that they still had a lot of work to do. Logan Schuss takes the Buckeyes into the horseshoe with 12 points (9G, 3A). This will be a tough test for the Golden Eagles.
Towson (0-3) vs. Mercer (1-1) 1pm – The Tigers have lost three straight this season, with their biggest upset loss going to High Point 9-7. They fought hard against Hopkins and Loyola, but came up short. Mercer dominated D2 Rollins 13-3, but were quickly awoken by Duke’s dominating 15-3 thrashing. Towson will need this win to get the morale up on the team, while the Bears will look to get a huge program win.
UMBC (0-1) vs. Rutgers (2-1) 1pm – The Golden retrievers dropped their season opener to Robert Morris 12-9. Rutgers has two wins against Manhattan and Wagner, where they averaged 17.5 goals offensively. The Scarlet Knights lone loss goes to Air Force. UMBC will come out hard in their first home game and look to de-horse the Scarlet Knights.
Siena (0-2) vs. Binghmaton (0-0)1pm – Binghamton beat Siena last year 9-7 in a close battle. So far this season, the Saints are 0-2, and need to figure out their defensives woes as they’ve let up an average of 16.5 goals. Matt Sharp has been strong in net for Siena, stopping 20/35 shots against Hopkins and 10/28 versus Hobart. Unfortunately a goalie can only do so much. The Bearcats travel to Siena in their season opener and will look to keep the Saints losing record going.
Saint Joseph’s (1-0) vs. VMI (0-3) 1pm – In their second home game of the season, Saint Joseph’s holds host to the Keydets from VMI. The Hawks are coming off an 8-5 win against High Point after being tromped by Lehigh 14-1. VMI is 0-3 and having their fair share of troubles as well. Saint Joseph’s was sent home with the 12-4 win in 2012. Will the Keydets get their first win of 2013 or can Saint Joseph’s keep the ball rolling?
Saint John’s (1-0) vs. Yale (0-0) 1pm – Yale’s first game of 2013 will be a tough one as they take on Saint John’s. The Bulldogs are coming off an impressive 2012 season as they won the Ivy League Championship and made the NCAA’s for the first time in years. Unfortunately, Yale’s top player in Matt Gibson graduated and left a big void in the attack unit. Finding someone to replace Matt may take a while. Saint John’s defeated Holy Cross last week 11-9 and will storm into their home turf and retrieve their second win of 2013.
Providence (1-0) vs. Vermont (0-1) 1pm – After a 2-12 season, the Friars acquired John Galloway to help on the coaching staff. So far, it’s worked out in their benefit as they downed Wagner 17-6. Vermont was dismantled by Colgate 13-7 a week ago. Providence will try to continue their winning ways, standing in their path are the Catamounts, who will look to get their first win of the season.
UNC (1-1) vs. Fairfield (2-0) 1pm – After dominating Air Force 16-8, the tar Heels fell to the Minutemen 12-11. The Stags are 2-0 so far, downing Bryant 8-6 and Navy 10-9. Fairfield comes into North Carolina this afternoon on a willful journey. A win here will be a big statement for the Stags, but they first have to deal with that pesky UNC offense of Sankey, Bitter, Emala and Holman.
Marist (1-0) vs. Sacred Heart (0-1) 1pm – Sacred Heart travels to Marist today for a 1pm competition. Marist is coming off a huge program win over Stony Brook 13-9. The Pioneers will have to step up as they enter a very dangerous area with the Red Foxes on a high horse after their big win.
Harvard (0-0) vs. UMass (2-0) 1pm – The Minutemen march into Harvard for their afternoon meeting. UMass is 2-0, with big wins over Army 16-9 and UNC 12-11. Harvard gets the pleasure of opening up their season today and will have strong competition coming from Coach Cannella’s team. Coach Wojcik and his guys are looking for revenge after last years 16-8 drubbing.
Bucknell (1-1) vs. Bryant (0-2) 1pm – After a gut wrenching loss to Colgate in OT, the Bulldogs dropped another close game to Fairfield. Like Bryant, Bucknell has also had close games, but came out victorious against Delaware and lost to The Mount. Kyle Feeney will have to find his game after stopping only 5/14 against Mount Saint Mary’s. There to rattle the cage and pose as a secret weapon will be Bryant LSM Mason Poli, who is one of the best poles in the game and can play both ways. Each team is looking to get back into the winning swing of things and will fight until that final whistle blows to do it.
Bellarmine (2-0) vs. High Point (1-3) 1pm – The Knights are 2-0, beating both Robert Morris and Michigan. High Point enters the game 1-3 with their last loss being a close one to Saint Joseph’s 8-5. Coach Torpey’s Panthers got their one win over Towson and made a huge splash in the lacrosse world. Bellarmine better be ready for a tough game, because they will have one.
Denver (1-1) vs. Lehigh (2-2) 130pm – #11 vs. #12. The Mountainhawks are dominating again this season, putting away Saint Joseph’s 14-1 and Villanova 11-9. Coach Tierney’s Pioneers however are trying to figure out what happened in last weeks 15-12 loss to Penn State. Lehigh travels across the country to take on Denver in what is sure to be nothing short of a beauty.
Hartford (0-1) vs. Holy Cross (0-1) 3pm – Both teams are 0-1 on the season. Hartford received a 14-6 romping by Maryland and Holy Cross obtained an 11-9 loss to Saint John’s. Last season, the two teams fought all game long, with the Crusaders coming out victorious over the Hawks 15-14. Fans are in for a good, hard fought game.
