It was a wild weekend in Division II, as top-ranked powers across the country battled for wins and a fair number of upsets made the climb to the top ranking a bit more difficult.
The biggest upset of the weekend came on Saturday when Rollins downed national power Limestone 13-11. There were rumblings about how underrated the Tars were from as far back as the fall. One of the reasons for that support is former Syracuse attackman Mikey Berkman, who is paying dividends from the roulette wheel known as the transfer portal. He had five points in this game, but the real hero for Rollins was Shahe Katchadurian.
Katchadurian made 14 stops, including a key save with six minutes left.
Top-ranked Tampa took on its highest-ranked opponent to date in Lenoir Rhyne and won 13-9. It was a heated game with penalties, big hits, huge saves and far-pipe snipes. The defending D-II champs looked to be up for every facet of the game, except for total saves — which is because LRU keeper Nolan Hoffman really shined, keeping his team in the game with eight first-half stops, including a seven-save second quarter.
NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION II MEN’S TOP 20
|
|
Feb. 20, 2023 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Tampa |
4-0 |
1 |
3/4 vs. Frostburg State |
|
2 |
Mercyhurst |
1-0 |
2 |
2/25 at Wilmington |
|
3 |
Adelphi |
1-0 |
5 |
2/20 at Lynn |
|
4 |
UIndy |
3-0 |
6 |
2/25 vs. Montevallo |
|
5 |
Le Moyne |
1-0 |
8 |
2/26 vs. Catawba (in Baltimore) |
|
6 |
Mercy |
2-1 |
3 |
2/22 at Georgian Court |
|
7 |
Limestone |
3-1 |
7 |
2/25 at Florida Southern |
|
8 |
Lenoir-Rhyne |
2-1 |
4 |
2/25 vs. Lewis |
|
9 |
Wingate |
2-1 |
10 |
2/25 vs. Tusculum |
|
10 |
Saint Anselm |
0-0 |
9 |
3/1 vs. Saint Rose |
|
11 |
Rollins |
1-0 |
16 |
2/24 at No. 14 Anderson |
|
12 |
Newberry |
3-0 |
13 |
2/23 vs. Mount Olive |
|
13 |
Pace |
0-0 |
11 |
2/28 vs. Molloy |
|
14 |
Anderson |
5-0 |
14 |
2/24 vs. No. 11 Rollins |
|
15 |
Seton Hill |
1-1 |
12 |
2/25 at Chestnut Hill |
|
16 |
Florida Tech |
1-1 |
15 |
3/6 vs. Wentworth Institute of Technology |
|
17 |
Belmont Abbey |
2-1 |
18 |
2/25 vs. No. 18 Colorado Mesa |
|
18 |
Colorado Mesa |
1-0 |
19 |
2/23 at Lees-McRae |
|
19 |
Bentley |
1-0 |
NR |
2/25 vs. St. Michael's |
|
20 |
Florida Southern |
2-1 |
17 |
2/25 vs. No. 7 Limestone |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Chestnut Hill, Lewis, Mount Olive, Rockhurst, Wilmington
Nike/USA Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Rollins (+5)
It’s always difficult to start your season against a ranked opponent, but that’s exactly what Rollins did — and the Tars showed out. Grant Hansen and Jack Johnstone combined for 10 points from the midfield, forming a three-headed monster with Mikey Berkman. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the Tars face two more ranked opponents in as many games, as they take on Anderson this Friday, followed by a Sunday matinee against Newberry. There is no time to celebrate. It’s February, after all.
Newberry (+1)
The Wolves keep devouring opponents with a high-octane offense powered by Canadian ingenuity. Ontario duo Scott Reed and Zac Thompson have combined for 24 points in Newberry’s first three games, with the former leading the team in goals (23) and the latter leading the team in assists (6). Is Newberry the newest team to watch in the SAC? We will all find out in the next few weeks, as they will battle former upstart Mount Olive and current upstart Rollins this week.
NOT
Limestone (no change)
The Saints know that they were a few plays away from a win in their loss to Rollins. They nearly doubled up the Tars in shots but could not get them to drop. Mike McGarry was limited to just one goal and one assist on 14 shots and has started the season in a shooting slump he’ll need to shake off soon. The Saints need to regroup for their next matchup against Florida Southern before they wade into SAC play on March 4 against Wingate.
Mercy (-3)
A tough loss to Le Moyne isn’t anything to be ashamed of, but it will bump you below the Dolphins in the rankings. If anything, the Mavericks should be concerned with establishing and playing their brand of lacrosse, which includes a lot of hard dodging and ball movement — something the Dolphins were very adept at stifling on Sunday.
IN
Bentley (No. 19)
The Falcons rolled in their season opener, getting five goals from preseason All-American Juke Jaber and seven points from Nathan Alviti, in a 19-4 win against Georgian Court. With the losses from the Florida teams piling up, it was only a matter of time before an NE-10 team kicked the door down for a visit to the Top 20.
OUT
Wilmington (was No. 20)
Wilmington sat this weekend out, but after falling to Tampa 25-5 on Feb. 11 and sitting idly by this week, the Wildcats make way for Bentley to join the fray. Wilmington hosts No. 2 Mercyhurst on Feb. 25.