Division III Rewind: NESCACS, Blue Bloods and ... Hope?

What a difference a week makes.

The NCAA Division III men’s tournament has reached the point at which it is stacked with familiar names — NESCACs, the Liberty League, blue bloods, and of course … Hope?

There isn’t a more fun story in men’s lacrosse than the Hope Flying Dutchmen. The small school hails from Michigan, and they took down Ithaca in the middle of the week. On Saturday, they defeated Bates to improve to 20-0 and reach the NCAA quarterfinals. 

Gibson Heethuis is putting up video game numbers, now up to 132 points on 62 goals and 70 assists. The glass slipper will be put to the test when they take on Bowdoin in the quarterfinals, but lacrosse fans everywhere should be tuned in to this remarkable underdog that just keeps winning.

Among the heavyweights, Washington and Lee had picked up serious momentum. The Generals beat Lynchburg by 10 in the ODAC title game and then crushed Gettysburg 19-10 in the second round of the NCAA tournament. A day later, Christopher Newport ended their run with a 13-12 result that saw the Captains advance to face Wesleyan. Such is Division III life.

Dickinson, last season’s Cinderella story, was upended in the first round by Middlebury, 13-8. The Panthers carry the title of the most mercurial team in the NESCAC once again this season, Jekyll-and-Hyding their way into the bracket despite finishing with an 8-7 regular season record. A possible Cinderella run of their own ended when Tufts throttled them 24-10. Again, such is Division III life.

Lynchburg’s first-round game against Grove City was one of the most exciting contests played all year. A raucous back-and-forth, fun-and-gun affair ended with the Hornets on top after trading blows for four straight quarters. A goal from Spencer Vandenberg with 2:10 left in the fourth was the game-deciding tally, but the Wolverines managed to get off three shots in the final two minutes, two of which were saved by Lynchburg netminder Luca Orelli. 

The Hornets were then undone by York, one of the more underrated teams left in the bracket. The Spartans have been in and around the top 10 from the middle of February onward. They have depth, speed, and power on both sides of the ball, which gave Lynchburg, as well as their first-round opponent, Colorado College, fits. 

They’ll need their full complement of weapons and tools in the next round against a Tufts team that has demolished all their tournament opponents since a loss to Bowdoin in April.

Salisbury saw its postseason run cut short at the hands of the RIT Tigers. The Sea Gulls had a lead heading to the fourth quarter, but RIT caught fire late. Ryan Sanders gave the Tigers an 11-10 lead before Preston Huffman equalized with just over a minute left. 

After RIT got a defensive stop via an Alex Zborowski save, Sanders scored on an absolute laser from the wing to keep the RIT season rolling. The Tigers will take on Babson, which upended St. Lawrence, 13-9.