Siena at Monmouth, 1 pm, ESPN3
The Saints have won four of their last five after starting the season with back-to-back losses. While Monmouth is 3-3, the Hawks average just five goals a game—fourth-worst in Division I. Siena, on the other hand, averages 10 per game.
Last year when these teams played, Siena won 8-3. The Saints will likely count on senior and leading point scorer Richie Hurley on Saturday. He dished out five assists and scored a goal against the Hawks last season. The difference in styles will be on display Saturday in West Long Branch, New Jersey as Monmouth has assisted on 60 percent of its goals this year while Siena has assisted on only 44 percent.
Ohio State at Notre Dame, 4 pm, ESPNU
After not making the NCAA tournament in 2014, Ohio State has had a tremendous bounce-back season. The nation’s No. 15 team has won three-straight games by a combined four goals against tough competition (Hofstra, Denver and Towson). OSU’s only two losses have come by one goal each. The Buckeyes are peaking and Nick Myers’ squad will have a chance to take down a national powerhouse at 4 pm.
Notre Dame’s only loss this season came two weeks ago in overtime against Denver. The Fighting Irish will need this win to keep up with the country’s best teams. And with matchups against Syracuse and Duke looming, UND must defend Arlotta Stadium.
Villanova at Fairfield, 5:30 pm, ESPN3
Fairfield, while being just 4-4, has lost all four games by one goal each. The Wildcats are the 17th-ranked team in the country, but they’ve only won 39 percent of their faceoffs this season, seventh-worst in Division I. On the flip side, Fairfield has won 58 percent. If there’s potential for an upset, it could come down to the faceoff X.
However, Villanova hasn’t lost to a team outside the Top 10 this season. Its offense is spread out just enough that it’s not easy to defend. Four VU players—Jack Curran, Sean Cerrone, Danny Seibel and Eric Gartner—have double-digit point totals this season. The Wildcats have already played four ranked teams and that experience could pay off against the Stags.
Virginia at Johns Hopkins, 6 pm, ESPNU
When you think of college lacrosse, this is the type of signature matchup you think of. But this year’s game may have a different feel to it. Johns Hopkins is 3-4 and needs a win to get back on track. The Blue Jays’ offense runs through Ryan Brown. The junior attack has scored 23 goals, nearly double JHU’s next-best goal scorer Shack Stanwick. While Brown has scored at least two goals in every game, he averages 4.3 in wins and 2.5 in losses. If UVA can contain Johns Hopkins’ most productive offensive player, that could be the key to the game.
In Virginia’s last game—its first without James Pannell, who’s out for the year with a knee injury—the Cavaliers lost to Notre Dame and tied its lowest goal total of the year. So far, sophomore attack Ryan Lukacovic has lifted Virginia with 13 goals and 12 assists in seven games. Midfielders Zed Williams and Ryan Tucker also carry much of the offensive load while Greg Coholan, who shifted to attack after Pannell’s injury, scored four goals against Notre Dame. Not to mention goalie Matt Barrett ranks fourth in the country with 13.71 saves per game. Anytime two traditional powerhouses meet up at Homewood, it should be a fun one.
