Unsettled: Four Scenarios that Could Shape the 2026 Season

Welcome to this week's edition of Unsettled, a weekly look at big stories, random observations and the numbers from the NCAA men's lacrosse scene. Check back each Sunday for the latest.

For a season expected to be as wide open as any in recent years, things are suddenly getting kind of chalky. The top eight teams in last week’s USA Lacrosse Top 20, presented by CWENCH Hydration, all went unbeaten last week. When the next rankings come out tomorrow, Notre Dame will be the No. 1 team in our rankings for the fourth week in a row.

History has proven that things won’t stay this calm. Here are four scenarios that could play out in the coming weeks to define the 2026 season.

Will the real Duke please stand up?

Duke has looked very solid through the first half of the schedule – a perfect 7-0 record with every win by at least six goals. But the only ranked team the Blue Devils have beaten is Saint Joseph’s – a game in which Duke pulled away in the second half for a 12-6 victory.

Things are about to get real. Duke welcomes Denver next Sunday and then closes the season with its ACC schedule, a neutral site game against reigning national champion Cornell and the ACC tournament.

Duke has the road map in front of it to soar to the top of the rankings, but a couple of losses will poke some holes in its resume. Given the early-season success, the first option seems more likely for the Blue Devils.

Junior goalie Patrick Jameison (59.1 save percentage, 6.15 goals against average) is having his best season and Duke’s offense has had a big boost from its newcomers. Virginia transfer Kyle Colsey is second on the team with 20 goals while freshmen Michael Ortleib (12g, 8a) and Brady Scioletti (14g, 5a) have combined for 39 points. Meanwhile, Benn Johnston has thrived on the move from midfield to attack (team-leading 26 goals in seven games) while Max Sloat (16g) and Liam Kershis (10g, 6a) keep producing.

And we haven’t even mentioned Duke’s best player – senior SSDM Aidan Maguire – who is making his presence felt everywhere. Maguire has three goals, four assists, seven caused turnovers and 16 groundballs.

Ohio State runs the Big Ten and rises

Similar to Duke, Ohio State’s early season schedule wasn’t loaded with heavyweights, but the Buckeyes have showed their mettle recently. Ohio State closed February with a 10-9 win at Georgetown, then lost a one-goal battle to Notre Dame (9-8) before beating Denver in a 6-4 throwback last Thursday.

All that’s left is five Big Ten games and the league tournament. It’s not far-fetched to think the Buckeyes, the reigning league champ, could run the table. But it's also the Big Ten, where there are no easy days.

Maryland survived a triple-overtime game against Virginia, but is far from the consistent force it usually is, and star defenseman Will Schaller was injured in the UVa win. Penn State is dangerous, but is also struggling for consistency. They’ve looked unworldly in wins over Princeton and Cornell, but also have losses to Villanova and Navy. Johns Hopkins and Rutgers have been solid, but have yet to show they’re ready to take down the best of the best and Michigan has been competitive in every game, but mired in a five-game losing streak.

Notre Dame’s offense matches it defense.

If Notre Dame’s offense plays to the level of its defense, the Irish could easily be seen raising a trophy over their heads for the third time in the last four seasons.

Led by All-American defenseman Shawn Lyght and LSM Will Donovan, Notre Dame held Michigan to just four goals on Saturday. The Irish unit playing in front of Thomas Ricciardelli has been outstanding and so has Ricciardelli. Now in his second season starting after backing up Liam Entenmann, Ricciardelli has a 56.0 save percentage and 7.89 goals against average.

The offense was held to nine goals against Michigan – largely due a a 17-save effort from the Wolverines’ Hunter Taylor – but has the potential to be dangerous. If the pieces all fit together, the season is Notre Dame’s to lose. 

 

 

 

 

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Harvard and Princeton survive the Ivy gauntlet

There’s too much talent in the Ivy League for No. 3 Princeton and No. 4 Harvard to not get tested – witness Princeton’s 11-10 win over Yale on Saturday. But if they do, we’re set for a special weekend in Boston.

Two days’ before Patriots’ Day and the Boston Marathon, Harvard hosts Princeton on April 18. Both teams feature explosive offenses, goalies that can rise to the occasion and the atmosphere at Jordan Field will match the magnitude of the game.

Can’t wait.

Random Observations

The most talked about thing this weekend was the bizarre scene from Charlotte for the North Carolina-Penn State game in the Crown Lacrosse Classic. Penn State’s Jeff Tambroni challenged a North Carolina goal in the fourth quarter of an eventual 10-8 Tar Heel victory. Nothing unusual so far, but the audio from play-by-play announcer Booker Corrigan made it seem as if they were the official replay judges for the challenge. James Hogan, a frequent contributor to The Lacrosse Network, shared the unusual scene.

The full three minute video review by Booker Corrigan on the crease call in the North Carolina vs Penn State game. https://t.co/z4O5gqW52I pic.twitter.com/eJSvZ73uZe

— James Hogan V (@james_hoganv) March 15, 2026

However, the NCAA put out a statement saying that only the game officials were involved with the review, although the feed came from the stream.

Statement from the Division I Men’s Lacrosse Rules Subcommittee.#NCAAMLAX pic.twitter.com/otsT6Sf025

— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAALAX) March 15, 2026

Boston University is officially Army’s kryptonite. The Terriers ran their winning streak over the Black Knights to six straight with a 10-8 victory on Saturday. As was the case last year, Army struggled with its shooting against BU, putting just 16 of its 38 shots on cage. BU sophomore Timothy Shannehan continued his monster season with a hat trick to give him 38 points in seven games. The top freshman scorer in the country last yer, he needs just one more to point to reach 100 for his career. 

It appears to be another roller-coaster ride in the Patriot League with two other surprises this weekend – Holy Cross over Lafayette and Lehigh over Loyola.

Brian Ruppel’s legacy in College Park remains to be written, but his place in the Maryland-UVa rivalry is firmly cemented. As a true freshman in 2023, he made three consecutive saves on one possession in overtime, part of a 14-save day, in a 14-13 victory. On Saturday, he made two of his 14 saves in the third overtime, helping Maryland to a 13-12 win over Virginia to get the Terps back to .500 entering Big Ten play.

By the Numbers

8 • Career-high assists for Joey Spallina in Syracuse’s 17-11 win at Air Force on Thursday. He’s now just 21 points away from tying Michael Powell’s school record of 307 career points. The Orange play at Denver in a rare Monday night Top 20 showdown.

22 • Faceoff wins for High Point’s Luca Accardo in 25 attempts during the Panthers 15-7 win over UMass that snapped the Minutemen’s seven-game winning streak. The 22 wins tied his own school record set last season.

2006 • The last time that Harvard had beaten Ivy League rival Penn in Philadelphia before Saturday’s 12-9 Crimson victory.

7 • Career-high goals for Towson’s 6-foot-6 Joaquin Villagomez in the Tigers 17-11 win against Villanova. Tiger goalie Matt Nilan also set a career high with 19 saves.

20 • Points this week for Rutgers’ Colin Kurdyla. Kurdyla had four goals and five assists in Saturday’s 21-8 win over Bellarmine and had four goals and seven assists earlier in the week in a victory over St. John’s. Coming off of a summer with the U.S. U20 team, Kurdyla has 45 points (23g, 22a) in nine games.

8 • Career-high points for Cornell’s Willem Firth in an 18-9 win over Brown. Firth had five goals and three assists, giving him 31 points in six games this season. The five goals were also a career-high.

16 • Career-high saves for Canisius goalie Sam Kosloski in a 9-8 overtime win against Quinnipiac. It was the second straight overtime game for the Golden Griffins.

13 • Combined points for Michael Meyer (2g, 6a) and Owen Kovacs (5g) in Bucknell’s 14-12 win over Colgate that improved the Bison to 6-2 overall and 2-1 in the Patriot League. Three of Meyer’s assists and two of Kovacs’ goals came in the fourth quarter.

5 • Number of wins for Holy Cross this year after Saturday’s 11-9 win over Lafayette, the most for the school in the post-COVID era.

20 • Career-high saves for Sacred Heart’s Craig Daria in the Pioneers 17-9 win over Mount St. Mary’s. Sacred Heart is now 7-0 this season.