Ohio State is halfway to a college lacrosse first.
The Buckeyes beat Virginia last month, and then picked up a 10-9 victory at Notre Dame on Saturday. Among Ohio State’s notable games still to come are a trip to Denver on Sunday and an April 12 visit from Maryland.
What do all of those opponents have in common? They reached the NCAA semifinals last season.
And guess what’s never happened before? A team defeating all four of the previous year’s NCAA semifinalists in a season.
In the present day, it’s difficult because there are enough Division I teams — and they’re spread out enough geographically — that it’s difficult to get all four teams from the previous Memorial Day weekend onto a schedule.
Plus, the teams best equipped to defeat programs that go deep into the postseason are usually the ones that did so themselves. To upend all four semifinalists takes a team that didn’t actually get that far last year.
The Buckeyes weren’t even in the tournament last season, going 6-9 while playing stingy defense and scraping together goals when they could. This team is a bit more potent but still has been exquisite defensively outside of its opening loss to Utah, and it has already surpassed its victory total from last season thanks to a seven-game winning streak.
But it’s still early, and Ohio State undoubtedly has better things to concern itself with than a historical quirk. But it’s still something that’s never been done, and worth keeping an eye on as the surging Buckeyes head into the back half of the season.
The below Top 20 is Patrick Stevens' contribution to the USA Lacrosse Top 20, which is released Monday mornings.
PATRICK STEVENS' TOP 20
1. Maryland (6-0)
There was no letdown for the Terrapins a week after outlasting Notre Dame. Maryland pounded Delaware 14-3 to improve to 6-0 for the third time in five years. Up next is a trip to Virginia. (Last week: 1)
2. Princeton (4-1)
Ryan Croddick’s 24 saves helped the Tigers stretch their way past Garden State rival Rutgers 11-5. Taking a 4-1 mark into Ivy play, especially with having faced three Big Ten schools and two ACC programs, is an impressive feat even if Princeton isn’t quite as consistent on offense as it would like to be — yet. (LW: 3)
3. Penn State (5-1)
Maybe this qualifies as a slight overreaction. But winning 13-12 in overtime at Cornell is something that could resonate in May. Hunter Aquino’s goal and four assists — including the feed on Ethan Long’s winner in extra time — was a strong outing on the road for a freshman. (LW: 9)
4. North Carolina (5-1)
The story of the Tar Heels’ season wasn’t written Saturday, and that’s OK. They handled Hofstra 18-7, inching closer to the start of ACC play. (LW: 5)
5. Cornell (4-1)
A single loss in overtime to Penn State — which was justly rewarded in this exercise for its victory in Ithaca — doesn’t warrant a plummet. A fascinating Ivy opener against Princeton at home awaits on Saturday. (LW: 4)
6. Ohio State (7-1)
The Buckeyes have done their right to help the Big Ten claim bragging rights over the ACC, throttling Virginia and now edging Notre Dame. They’ll take a seven-game winning streak west to face Denver on Sunday. (LW: 12)
7. Notre Dame (3-2)
The Fighting Irish have lost consecutive games since dropping three in a row from Feb. 26-March 12, 2022. The last two losses in that stretch were to Maryland and Ohio State, just as Notre Dame’s two one-goal losses have been this season. (LW: 2)
8. Army (6-0)
Another rout for the Black Knights, who handled Holy Cross 17-4. They’ll visit a Lehigh team coming off beating Navy in its Patriot League opener. (LW: 7)
9. Duke (6-1)
Still not fully sure what to make of the Blue Devils, and ACC play will probably provide answers on that front. For now, they keep churning out victories (except for a coin flip setback against Princeton), and Maryland transfer Eric Malever uncorked a five-goal, four-assist outing in a 16-11 defeat of Air Force on Saturday. (LW: 8)
10. Syracuse (5-2)
No game this week for the Orange, who are off until Manhattan visits the Dome on March 18. Beating Johns Hopkins 13-10 is easily Syracuse’s most notable feat to date, enough to justify tagging them as the Best Team With Two Losses, Non-Defending Two-Time Champions category. (LW: 15)
11. Johns Hopkins (5-2)
The first 40 minutes at Syracuse went well for the Blue Jays on Sunday. In the last 20, the Orange got enough shots to fall to pull away. This placement puts Hopkins behind the two teams it has lost to (North Carolina and Syracuse) and ahead of the five it has defeated (Denver, Towson, Georgetown, Loyola and Virginia). (LW: 6)
12. Georgetown (4-2)
For the second consecutive game, the Hoyas never trailed in Wednesday’s 12-7 triumph at UAlbany. The Hoyas open a three-game homestand Saturday against High Point. (LW: 10)
13. Richmond (5-2)
The Spiders had a two-win week, ripping Mercyhurst before never letting things get too dicey in the second half of Saturday’s 11-8 victory over UMBC. A big-time opportunity awaits as Duke makes the trip to Robins Stadium. (LW: 11)
14. Colgate (5-2)
The Raiders got a test from a spunky Lafayette bunch, trailing by four in the third quarter before surging to a 19-14 victory behind Jack Tucker’s six goals. Coaches are fond of pointing out it generally isn’t easy to win on the road in league play, so chalk one up to that axiom. Colgate’s home opener — at long last — arrives Saturday when Bucknell comes to Hamilton. (LW: 13)
15. Harvard (4-1)
Some victories are valuable because an opponent is likely to be a top-10 team in May. And some have heft because they’re against teams that could be perched right around the edge of the field. The Crimson doesn’t want that fate for themselves, but if they are, a 14-11 defeat of Michigan probably won’t hurt. (LW: 14)
16. Virginia (3-3)
Lars Tiffany framed the Cavaliers’ game against Towson in Houston as something resembling a pass/fail situation. Virginia passed as Matt Nunes started for the first time since his NCAA semifinal benching last spring and made 15 saves in an 11-6 victory. (LW: 17)
17. Fairfield (7-0)
One of the best stories of the season, the Stags have matched the best start in school history (2012) and went undefeated in non-conference play for the first time ever. Devin Lampron had three goals and two assists in a 19-5 trouncing of UMass Lowell. (LW: Not ranked)
18. Penn (3-3)
The Quakers shut out Villanova in the first half of an 11-8 victory over Philly-area rival Villanova to get back to .500. Ivy League play opens Saturday as Brown makes the trek to Franklin Field. (LW: 19)
19. Boston U (5-1)
The Terriers’ offense got well at Bucknell, as Jimmy O’Connell, Timothy Shannehan and Jimmy Kohr each scored four goals in the 21-12 rout. Winless Loyola — which has dropped four of its last five against Boston U — makes the trip north on Saturday. (LW: NR)
20. Michigan (4-3)
The Wolverines were tied at Harvard with six minutes to play before giving up the final three goals — two of them in the final 72 seconds. That’s not a terrible showing, but it does nothing to help Michigan build an NCAA tournament case. A cranky Notre Dame team pays a visit to Ann Arbor on Saturday. (LW: 18)
Also considered (alphabetical order): Dartmouth (5-1), Denver (4-3), Navy (4-1), Saint Joseph’s (4-2), UMass (5-1), VMI (6-1)