BEARS LAX TRAX FAX 04162023 by John Nichols

Division I

BEARS vs BEARS

Penn (Stephen Bou) 15

Harvard (Joey Graham) 9

Penn opened up the game with three straight scores, but Harvard bounced back to take the lead with a run of four.  The Quakers got the lead back with a pair of goals before Harvard closed out the first half scoring to set the game at 5-5 at the half.  The Crimson took the lead with a quick score to start the second half, but that was their last lead of the day.  Penn ran off six straight scores to take the lead for good.  Harvard halted the run to close out the third period then Penn was able to protect their lead in the final quarter.

OTHER GAMES

Dartmouth(Brendan Gallagher, Brett Gallagher, Cameron Brown, Zak Oehlerking) 7

Princeton 17

After getting an upset win to start their Ivy League season, Dartmouth has found the rest of the conference to be a daunting challenge.  Big Green suffered their third straight double-digit loss in Ivy play.  The game started well for Dartmouth as they scored the first goal of the day.  Princeton set the tone for the game after that by going on a seven-goal run the consumed the balance of the first half.  Dartmouth kicked off the second half with a quick pair of goals, but Princeton bounced back with three in a row to settle the uprising.  After a bit of back and forth, the Tigers ran off five straight scores to stretch their advantage to eleven.  Two more to Big Green then Princeton finished the scoring with a late goal.

Cameron scored one goal on two shots for Dartmouth.

Denver (Ryan Giles) 12

Towson 10

The Pioneers took control early with a 6-0 run that lasted into the early minutes of the second quarter.  The Tigers ate away at Denver’s lead, scoring twice for each Denver goal.  With three iterations of that pattern, Towson had pulled one by the end of the third quarter.  Denver scored twice to open the final period, extending their lead back out to three goals.  The Tigers matched that are were again down by just one.  Denver got one more goal after that and held on for the win.

Ryan had two ground balls and one caused turnover.

Denver (Ryan Giles) 12

Saint John’s 10

Winless Saint John’s got to work on upsetting Denver with an early three-goal run.  The Pioneers tied the game up with a pair of scores then the teams twice swapped goals, creating ties at four-all and five-all.  Saint John’s ran their lead out to two with a pair of goals then Denver pulled back within one with the last goal of the first half.  Saint John’s ran their lead back to two to start the second half then after Denver scored to cut the lead back to one, Saint John’s built their largest lead of the day with a pair of goals.  Denver clamped down and shut out Saint John’s for the rest of the game.  The Pioneers tied the game up early in the fourth quarter then closed out the win with two late scores.

Ryan had one ground ball and one caused turnover for the Pioneers.

Hobart (Jackson Galiani) 10

Saint Joseph’s 11

If Hobart could manage to win this game, there would have been a three-way tie atop the Atlantic 10 standings.  Saint Joseph’s made that a tough task stepping out to a 4-0 lead in the first quarter.  Hobart whittled away at that lead by limiting the Hawks to single scores while occasionally making back-to-back scores.  Hobart broke that pattern in the middle of the second half, scoring twice to finish the third quarter with the teams tied at eight all and then adding one more to get their first lead of the day early in the middle of the fourth quarter.  The Hawks got the lead back with a pair of goals scored just six seconds apart.  Hobart managed to tie the game once more, but Saint Joe’s got the final tally and the win.

Jackson played in the game.

Maryland (John Geppert) 11

Rutgers 8

Early on the ball traveled up and down the field but neither team threatened to score.  The Terrapins got the first goal of the game midway through the first quarter then ran off four more before Rutgers got their first goal.  The remainder of the first half was much more even and Maryland led by four at the break.  They extended that lead to six with a pair of scores to kick off the second half.  The teams traded goals to finish the third quarter and in the fourth Rutgers did all the scoring, but not nearly at the frequency needed to overtake Maryland.

John took one shot and scooped up two ground balls.

Michigan (Graham Hertzberg, Hunter Taylor) 9

Penn State 11

The Wolverines started the scoring with a pair of goals and maintained that advantage over the balance of the first half swapping goal for goal with the Nittany Lions.  Michigan doubled their lead to four to start the second half.  Penn State bounced back with two of their own before Michigan scored the last goal of the third quarter.  That proved to be their last goal of the quarter but also the last goal of the day for Michigan.  Penn State took the lead and sealed the win with a 5-0 advantage in the final frame.

Hunter played in goal for Michigan for the second half making four saves while surrendering seven goals.  He also covered two ground balls. The ESPN commentators called Hunter’s leg kick saves SPECTACULAR!!!

Navy (JT Thomas, Preston Luger) 9

Lafayette 6

Navy scored three times early in the first quarter, but that scoring pace was not sustainable for the rest of the game.  That burst was, however, sufficient to give the Middies a lead that would hold up for the rest of the game.  Whatever progress Lafayette made over the rest of the game Navy would match to sustain that three-goal lead.  The Middies stretched it out to four in the final quarter before Lafayette recorded the game’s final goal.  Neither team shot particularly well on the day, but Navy shot far more often.

Ohio State (Cullen Brown) 8

Johns Hopkins 17

The Buckeyes had and early two goal lead then the Jays scored three straight times and never trailed after that.  Ohio State was able to tie the game up at three a piece after that short Hopkins run, but the Jays ran off another three in a row to extend their advantage.  Hopkins had a three-goal lead at the halftime break having scored in the closing seconds of the half and then decisively took over the game with a 7-0 third quarter.  Ohio State finished out the game with the only score of the final period.

Cullen had one ground ball and caused one turnover.

Yale (Jake Cohen) 16

Brown 10

Brown ran out ahead with four straight first quarter scores, but Yale came back in the second with five in a row to take the lead.  Brown scored three times to tie the game, closing out the first half.  Yale controlled the game in the second half.  The teams swapped goals to start the second half then Yale racked up three straight.  That string was broken by a single score by Bruno, then Yale finished the day with another run of three.  Brown had a big advantage in faceoff wins and ground balls but cancelled that edge with twenty-one turnovers.

Jake had one ground ball for Yale and caused two Brown turnovers.

POLLS

Inside Lacrosse/Media

1.      Notre Dame

2.      Duke

3.      Maryland

4.      Virginia

5.      Penn State

6.      Cornell

7.      Johns Hopkins

8.      Army

9.      Georgetown

10.  Denver

11.  Rutgers

12.  Syracuse

13.  Villanova

14.  North Carolina

15.  Penn

16.  Jacksonville

17.  Delaware

18.  Michigan

19.  Yale

20.  Utah

USILA COACHES

1.      Notre Dame

2.      Duke

3.      Virginia

4.      Maryland

5.      Penn State

6.      Cornell

7.      Johns Hopkins

8.      Georgetown

9.      Army

10.  Denver

11.  Rutgers

12.  Villanova

13.  Syracuse

14.  Jacksonville

15.  North Carolina

16.  Delaware

17.  Yale

18.  Penn

19.  Michigan

20.  Princeton

Nike/USA Lacrosse

1.      Notre Dame

2.      Duke

3.      Maryland

4.      Virginia

5.      Penn State

6.      Johns Hopkins

7.      Cornell

8.      Army

9.      Georgetown

10.  Jacksonville

11.  Rutgers

12.  Denver

13.  Villanova

14.  Syracuse

15.  Delaware

16.  North Carolina

17.  Penn

18.  Princeton

19.  Yale

20.  Boston U

THIS COMING WEEK

Dartmouth(Brendan Gallagher, Brett Gallagher, Cameron Brown, Zak Oehlerking) vsPenn (Stephen Bou) and Ohio State (Cullen Brown) vs Michigan (Graham Hertzberg, Hunter Taylor) in our Bears vs. Bears matches this week.

LOOKING AHEAD—

CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS

Atlantic 10 Four teams qualify for the conference tournament with the tournament winner getting what is likely to be the sole slot for the A10 in the NCAA tournament.  Hobart is in position to take the fourth slot but will need to beat two of the top three teams in the coming week and will be praying to the saints (Joseph and Bonaventure) for High Point to drop a game.

Big East Top four teams qualify for the Big East tournament.  The winner of that tournament will get a bid to the NCAA tournament, but the league is not currently positioned to get any at-large bids.  Georgetown is the in first currently with a conference record of 3-0.  Denver and Villanova sport 2-1 records in conference play and Denver has an edge due to their win over Villanova.  Marquette appears to have the best chance of being the fourth team in.

Big Ten: All six Big Ten teams are included in the conference tournament.  The top two teams get first round byes.  One of those byes will go to the winner of the Maryland-Johns Hopkins game and Penn State could get the other with a win over Rutgers.  The loser of the Michigan–Ohio State game will be one of the teams in the tournament’s first round game with their opponent decided by outcome of outcome of the Rutgers-Penn State game.

Ivy: The top four teams make the Ivy League tournament.   Penn has one more Ivy League game remaining and their current 3-2 record in Ivy League play puts them in a good position to make the four-team Ivy League tournament.  With a 2-2 record in Ivy League games, Harvard has more at stake than usual in their last regular season game against Yale, which at 2-3 has a similar level of urgency for that big rivalry game.  Dartmouth, with a single win in league play, is not in a great position.  Cornell and Princeton are currently poised to be the top seeds.

Patriot League: The League’s top six teams make the Patriot League tournament.  Navy is currently in fourth place and appears to be in good shape to make the tournament.  Army is undefeated in league play in first place with Boston University and Lehigh right behind them.

Division III

THIS WEEK’S GAMES

Amherst (Nicholas Kopp) 15

Connecticut College 11

The Mammoths cruised out to a five-goal lead in the middle of the first half, but the Camels rallied in the second half using a four-goal run to pull within one at the end of the first half.  Amherst got the jump on Connecticut College to start the second half and by the end of the third quarter had run their lead back out to five.  The Camels went to work right away in the fourth quarter, scoring three straight goals in the first four minutes.  Amherst countered with a pair of goals and that effectively ended the uprising.

Nicholas won nineteen of thirty faceoffs and gathered in ten ground balls.  He took advantage of his wins and fired off three shots.

Amherst (Nicholas Kopp) 10 OT

Williams 11

Williams controlled the game in the first half, allowing just two goals to the Mammoths, but they did not run away with the game.  The Mammoths held their own in the third quarter, but still trailed by five as the game moved into the fourth quarter.  Amherst did what needed to be done, outscoring Williams 6-1 in the fourth, the tying goal coming with just twenty seconds left in the game.  Nicholas won the faceoff following the tying goal, but the Mammoths could not cash in one either of their shots.  In overtime, Nicholas again won the faceoff, but the Mammoths quickly turned the ball over and Williams won the game on their second shot.

Nicholas won seventeen of twenty-four faceoffs and covered four ground balls.

Colby (Miles Tonkel, Colin Flood) 16

Bowdoin 22

Initially the teams traded goals in pairs but as the first half wore on, Colby fell off the pace and Bowdoin picked up momentum.  The Polar Bears closed out the first half with a six-goal run to lead 12-6 at intermission.  Colby picked up the first score of the second half, but Bowdoin went on another run, this time scoring seven in a row.  Colby mounted a bit of a comeback late in the fourth quarter, scoring five consecutive goals in just over two minutes, but time ran out soon thereafter.

Miles forced one turnover for the Mules.

Colby (Miles Tonkel, Colin Flood) 12

Middlebury 22

Middlebury had several short goal scoring runs while Colby was able to put successive scores on the board until midway through the third quarter.  Middlebury responded to that impertinence with a run of nine straight goals, giving them a fifteen-goal lead in the middle of the fourth quarter.  The Mules closed out the game with a run of five straight scores.  With the exception of faceoffs, which were modestly in favor of Middlebury, Middlebury had a three-to-two advantage in almost every statistical category.

Colin played in this game.

Dickinson (Will Single) 20

McDaniel 7

Dickinson’s nine-goal run that stretched from the first quarter to the third decided this contest.  Mc Daniel stopped that run with their only back-to-back goals of the day the Red Devils scored eight of the game’s next nine goals. 

Will took two shots in the game, one on goal, and got to three ground balls.

Gettysburg (Billy Banfield) 15

Muhlenberg 13

The Bullets needed a big break and late game heroics to overcome Muhlenberg.  Gettysburg started the game with a three-goal run then Muhlenberg came back with four in a row to take the lead.  The Mules added to that lead incrementally by preventing any scoring runs for the Bullets.  Gettysburg turned the tide in the third quarter, scoring five of the game’s next six goals to tie the game up early in the fourth quarter.  Muhlenberg struck back with a pair of goals to retake the lead, but the Bullets had the last word with their game winning four-goal run to finish the win.

Hampden-Sydney (Owen Hegadorn) 23

Guilford 5

Hampden-Sydney coasted to the win, scoring eight unanswered goals to start the game.  They added a string of three and three strings of four goals while Guilford netted successive scores just once in the game.  Faceoffs were dead even in the game, but every other measure favored Hampden-Sydney. 

Owen had a brief stint in goal, saving one and giving up one.

Hampden-Sydney (Owen Hegadorn) 25

Ferrum 4

Hampden-Sydney took control right way with an eleven-goal run.  Ferrum got the last goal of the first quarter and the first goal of the second quarter the Hampden-Sydney was off to the races again, scoring twelve straight in a run that lasted into the middle of the third quarter.  Scoring moderated after that as the teams traded single scores until the final horn.

Owen played the third quarter in the game, saving two shots and giving up none.

Tufts (Garrett Kurtz) 20

Bates 7

Tuft’s defense never gave up successive goals and their offense decided the game early with a seven-goal run in the first half.  The win keeps Tufts 2023 record perfect.

Tufts (Garrett Kurtz) 25

Wesleyan 16

The Jumbos ran away with this game right away.  The Jumbos benefited from runs of nine, five, and four goals in the first half while the Cardinals could do no better than going back-to-back twice in the half.  In the second half, Tufts’ scoring pace moderated and Wesleyan’s accelerated.  The Cardinals managed a five-goal run across the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth, but the game had long been decided by then.

Washington & Lee(Will Bou) 31

Averitt 1

The first meeting of these schools was a decisively one-sided affair.  The Generals were up 4-0 early in the first period when Averett got their first, and as it turned out last, goal.  Will had a bit of rest this game, taking just half of the game’s thirty-six faceoffs.

POLLS

INSIDE LACROSSE/MEDIA

1.      Tufts

2.      Salisbury

3.      RIT

4.      Middlebury

5.      Christopher Newport

6.      Gettysburg

7.      Saint Lawrence

8.      Bowdoin

9.      Amherst

10.  York

11.  Dickinson

12.  Swarthmore

13.  Washington & Lee

14.  Lynchburg

15.  Denison

16.  Cabrini

17.  Stevens

18.  Hampden-Sydney

19.  Wesleyan

20.  Union

USILA COACHES

1.      Tufts

2.      Salisbury

3.      RIT

4.      Christopher Newport

5.      Middlebury

6t. Gettysburg

6t. Saint Lawrence

8.      Washington & Lee

9.      Dickinson

10.  Bowdoin

11.  Amherst

12.  Lynchburg

13.  York

14.  Union

15.  Cabrini

16.  Denison

17.  Stevens

18.  Wesleyan

19.  Muhlenberg

20.  Swarthmore

NIKE/USA LACROSSE

1.      Tufts

2.      Salisbury

3.      RIT

4.      Christopher Newport

5.      Middlebury

6.      Saint Lawrence

7.      Gettysburg

8.      Bowdoin

9.      Amherst

10.  York

11.  Dickinson

12.  Washington and Lee

13.  Stevens

14.  Denison

15.  Swarthmore

16.  Cabrini

17.  Hampden-Sydney

18.  Lynchburg

19.  Union

20.  Williams

LOOKING AHEAD—CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS

NESCAC: Eight teams will qualify for the conference tournament with both Tufts (Garrett Kurtz) and Amherst (Nicholas Kopp) looking like locks for while Colby (Miles Tonkel, Colin Flood) remains winless in NESCAC play.

ODAC: Seven teams qualify for the ODAC tournament and both Washington & Lee(Will Bou) and Hampden-Sydney (Owen Hegadorn) are well positioned to make the field.  Hampden-Sydney is currently tied for first place with a perfect 5-0 record in conference play.

Centennial Conference: This conference is rich with accomplished programs. Gettysburg (Billy Banfield) and Dickinson (Will Single) each have just one loss in conference play, but both have challenging schedules remaining, including a head-to-head match this week.  Five teams make the conference’s tournament.