BearLaxTraxFax by John Nichols 05/15/2018

BLTF 051318

D-I

In the first round of the NCAA D-I tournament, two of the eight seeded teams lost and three of the four teams featuring Landon alums on their rosters won.  Over the past ten years, on average two of the eight seeds lose in the first round and for that period there has not been an instance of all eight seeds winning in the first round.  As you may expect, the #8 and #7 seeds (both of which lost this year) have the worst record and #1 seeds have not lost in the first round in at least eleven years.  If you look back over the season’s polls, only once (April 16) did the USILA Coaches’ poll have all eight of the first-round winners ranked in the poll’s top eight.

First round results also set up a Bears vs. Bears match as #1 Maryland will play unseeded Cornell in the quarter final round.  That game will be played on this coming Sunday in Annapolis.  This is the first Bears vs. Bears game in the NCAA tournament since 2015.  In both 2013 and 2014 there were three such contests.  There is a chance for one more Bears vs. Bears game in D-I this season if Johns Hopkins beats Duke on Sunday.

NCAA D-I MEN’S LACROSSE TOURNAMENT

#1 Maryland (Justin Shockey)  14

Robert Morris 11

Robert Morris, which got to this game by winning a play in game on Wednesday, proved to be no push-over for the top seeded Maryland Terrapins.  With the growth of lacrosse nationwide, parity has improved and the top seeds can not rest on regular season laurels.  The Colonials were up early on the Terrapins, scoring four straight, dodging from behind the goal to get to the crease after Maryland recorded the first goal of the game.  Maryland found success in transitions in the first half but were still down three at the half. The Terrapins came out hard in the third quarter scoring four goals in five minutes to take a 7-6 lead.  Maryland incrementally stretched out that lead by not allowing the Colonials to string goals together while the Terrapins often scored in pairs.  The game was almost penalty-free with the Maryland being called for a cross-check with a minute and a half left in the game.  Robert Morris converted on the man-up opportunity for the game’s final goal.

Justinwon six of ten faceoffs, took one shot and covered five ground balls for Maryland.  Next up for Maryland is Cornell on Sunday in Annapolis in a Bears vs. Bears contest.

#5 Johns Hopkins (Sam Lynch) 10 OT

Georgetown 9

Johns Hopkins last played Georgetown in the quarterfinals of the 2007 NCAA tournament.  Hopkins won that game and went on to win the NCAA title that year.  That game was also notable because it was a Bears vs. Bears game with Jake Byrne (Landon 2003) at attack for Hopkins and Jake Samperton (Landon 2005) at attack for Georgetown.

In this year’s match, the Blue Jays got an early jump on the Hoyas scoring the game’s first three goals.  After that, Georgetown took control of the game and outscored Hopkins 8-0 over the next 28 minutes.  But, the Jays were not done and, as they have several times this season, they mounted a steady second half comeback.  Kyle Marr, son of the Albany coach, was the hero in regulation for Hopkins, scoring all five of Hopkins’ goals down the stretch.  His fifth goal tied the game with a few ticks over four minutes remaining in regulation.  The ensuing faceoff was a nearly minute long grind by the two FOGOs with the Hoyas gaining possession.  Georgetown shot wide and JHU had the runout to gain possession back.  Hopkins had two scoring chances in the final seconds but were not able to put one away.

Overtime started with another FOGO grind, this one for just half of a minute, with the Hoyas ultimately winning possession on a violation.  The second of two Georgetown shots was blocked and possession went back to the Blue Jays.  After a timeout, Hopkins got the game winner as Shack Stanwick dodged to the crease and put away the game winner.

Samhad playing time for Hopkins as a short stick defender.

Cornell (Jack Bolen, Colton Rupp, Andrew Fowler) 10

Syracuse 9

This was the second meeting of these teams this year.  In early April, Cornell downed the Orange 13-8 in game in which they never trailed.  This game was more tightly contested.  Teams had attempted to throttle Cornell’s high-scoring offense by face guarding Cornell’s leading scorer, Jeff Teat, and forcing their Big Red to try to beat them five-on-five.  Syracuse adopted this approach and it was largely successful, but Cornell has had time to come to grips with this tactic.

There were three ties in the first quarter, then the Orange built a 6-3 advantage by putting home three goals in just in less than a minute and a half of game time.  After the teams swapped single scores, Big Red mounted a comeback over the closing minutes of the second quarter into the third.  With just under seven minutes left in the third, Cornell tied the game at seven.  The game would be tied at each integer thereafter until Colton Rupp put Cornell up 10-9 (GWG)with 5:35 left in regulation with a man-up goal.   Through the balance of regulation, the teams traded possessions with the goalies making saves.  Syracuse had the final possession, but their three shots were well wide of the goal and Cornell was able to hold on.  Coltonhad and goal and assist for Cornell and Jack had one ground ball.

Cornell will play #1 Maryland in our first NCAA tournament Bears vs. Bears game in Annapolis.

Virginia (Ryan Pride) 12

Loyola 14

Virginia and Loyola started the 2018 season against each other with a double overtime thriller.  UVA and Loyola have played their season openers against each other for the past five years with Virginia winning four of those five.  Virginia’s four wins have all been one-goal affairs and two were overtime games.  Loyola’s one win in that series was an 11-4 thumping.  The way this game started, it looked like a reprise of that Loyola thumping.  The Greyhounds used successive four- and five-goal runs to race out to a 10-3 lead late into the second quarter.  A pair of late goals by the ‘Hoos narrowed that margin at the half.

Those late scores by Virginia did not translate into momentum for the second half as Loyola was able to extend that five-goal lead out to seven by the end of the third quarter.  Virginia mounted a ferocious comeback, outscoring Loyola 6-1 in the final period.  The last of those goals came with just 14 seconds left in regulation and Loyola was able to run out the clock after that.

Loyola moves on to face #3 Yale on Saturday and the Virginia season comes to a close.  These two will see each other in next year’s season opener.

D-III

NCAA D-III MEN’S LACROSSE TOURNAMENT

Saturday’s third round games (round of 16) saw all three teams that we follow win and advance.  This coming week, quarterfinal matches will be played on Wednesday at the sites of the higher seeded teams and then the D-III tournament semi-final games will be played on Saturday.  After the semi-finals, teams will be given a break from the weekend and weekday scheduling with the D-III championship game to be played in Boston on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.

Ohio Wesleyan (Tyler McTague):

Third Round Game:  

Ohio Wesleyan (Tyler McTague)  11

Denison 10

This marks the third time these teams have met this year.  The Battling Bishops won the regular season meeting at Denison then Denison won the NCAC tournament championship game at OWU.  This rematch was similarly back-and-forth.  If one team put together a run of two or three goals, the other answered back with the same.  Consequently, the game was tied often and in the balance into the fourth quarter. The trading of goals led to Denison taking a 10-9 lead after the Bishops and tied the game up with a goal that stopped a Denison run.  However, the Bishops had the game’s last run, scoring twice to flip the scoreboard in their favor.  Still, there were over seven minutes left in regulation.  Denison managed two possessions and five shots over the balance of the game, but one was saved and four were wide of the cage.

Next for the Battlin’ Bishops is a quarter-final match with one of the tournaments top seeds, Gettysburg, on Wednesday.

Salisbury (Brian Menendez):

Third Round Game:

Salisbury (Brian Menendez) 12

Christopher Newport  11

This marks the third time these teams have met this year.  Salisbury won both contests, a 6-5 squeaker at CNU and a 14-3 blowout in the CAC tournament semi-finals.  Christopher Newport was ready for the challenge and up for revenge after the CAC tournament thrashing that Salisbury applied to them.  Salisbury, though, was not about to let Cristopher Newport stop them on their path to a third straight NCAA D-III title.  The Captains took command of the game in the first half putting together runs for four and five goals to jump out to a 9-3 lead at the half.  CNU scored first to open the second half, then the Seagulls took over.  Salisbury scored nine unanswered goals to take a two-goal lead with two and a half minutes left in regulation.  The Captains would get back to within one with a minute left, but turnovers, not shots and goals, consumed the balance of the game.

Salisbury hosts Dickinson College of the Centennial Conference on Wednesday in a quarter-final game.

Tufts (Luke Kurtz):

Third Round Game:

Tufts (Luke Kurtz) 18

Ithaca 11

Tufts last played Ithaca in the quarter-final round of the 2016 NCAA D-III tournament, trouncing them 19-7.

Tufts and Ithaca traded goals early on then the Jumbos took advantage of a two-minute non-releasable foul on Ithaca by scoring four man-up goals to build a five-goal lead.  That lead held up over the balance of the contest, except for one spell of 26 seconds in the fourth quarter when it was cut to four.  Lukesaw field time in this third round game.

Tufts hosts Wesleyan in a quarterfinal game this week, a fellow NESCAC team that they have beaten twice this season.

Seniors

Sean O’Brien—Bucknell

Lacrosse is not over for Sean.  He was drafted by the Dallas Rattlers of Major League Lacrosse and has been signed to the team’s 25 man roster.  He saw his first professional action this weekend and scored the first goal of his professional career.

Sean wrapped up his collegiate career at Bucknell with 99 career points on 87 goals and 12 assists over his four years for the Bison.  With his running mates Connor O’Hara (85 goals, 13 assists) and Will Sands (102 goals, 141 assists), Sean part of a potent three-man offense surge which propelled Bucknell into the national polls.

Jack Bolen—Cornell

With Cornell’s win over Syracuse, Jacks playing career at Cornell continues.  Over the past three seasons, Jack has played in all but two of Cornell’s games.  Jack scored eight goals and contributed one assist (so far!) with the lion’s share of that production coming during his sophomore season.

Riley McTague—Hobart

Riley has had limited playing time over the course of his career at Hobart, but has excelled in the classroom as a Northeast Conference Honor Roll honoree each of the last two years (2018 Spring has not yet been released) as an International Relations major.

Sam Lynch—Johns Hopkins

Sam appeared in 25 games for the Blue Jays a short stick defensive middie, over half of those appearances coming this season (with more yet to come).

New Coverage Next Season: Rising Freshmen and Changes

2014

Jack Falk—Duke*  Jack played three years at Virginia and is now in grad school at Duke

2017

Michael Abizaid—Utah*

Shane Corcoran—Navy

Cam James—Loyola*

Nate Buller—Penn State*

2018

Joey Epstein-Johns Hopkins

Brendan Gallagher—Dartmouth

Brett Gallagher—Dartmouth

John Geppert—Maryland

Alexander Hagerup—Fairfield*

Zach Johnson—Michigan*

Jace Menendez—Salisbury

Gilbert Sentimore—Utah*

Mo Sillah—Towson*

Drew Wellington—Bucknell

*: new school coverage