We are about halfway through the college lacrosse season, and it has been nothing less than electrifying. We have seen multiple different number 1 seeds, one being our very own Denver University Pioneers.
The Pioneers started off the season with a huge upset win over #6 ranked Johns Hopkins University in overtime, 13-12, with the most important part being we did it at Homewood Field (Baltimore, Maryland). We then followed that win up with a win against in state rivals Air Force Falcons. The Pios rolled to 5-0 and was atop the rankings, but fell 2 goals short against a good Yale University team. The team got back on track with a win agaisnt previously ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, and then would fall to #3 ranked Duke, 7-11. The Denver Pioneers are currently ranked #5 and are looking to win out their next 3 games, which are all Big East teams.
The current #1 team in the nation, is Notre Dame. They sit at a strong 7-1 record, having wins against very solid opponents. They have wins against Marquette, Maryland, Ohio State, Michigan, Syracuse, and Duke. Those are all very strong teams, so its safe to say that Notre Dame is very deserving of the number 1 seed. Their one lost came at home suprisingly, but it was an overtime loss to the University of Georgetown.
My favorite team and who I think is going to bring home the hardware in the spring, is the University of Virginia. They have one of the best attackmen in the nation in Connor Shellenberger. They also have true freshman Mccabe Millon who is a beast. He won the Gatorade player of the year and won the Maryland state championship. Virginia is ranked 4th in the country which is think they should be higher but I dont make the decisions. The Hoos have wins over Michigan, Richmond, Ohio State, Robert Morris, Towson, Maryland, Albany, Harvard, and North Carolina. They have lost one game 14-16 to number 2 ranked Johns Hopkins.
There are a few good conferences in college lacrosse, but most of it runs through the Atlantic Coastal Conference. The ACC has 3 of the top 5 teams in the country, and another one in the top 10. A few of the other good conferences are the Big East, the Big Ten, and the Ivy League. Whats cool about college lacrosse is you see a lot of different teams with different play styles. The Big Ten has a bunch of guys with less of a finesse game, but with beasts that will force you to play a physical game, and this is the exact opposite of the Ivy. The Ivy league teams for the most part arent extremely physical, but have great stick skills and play at an extremely fast pace.
The NCAA Mens lacrosse tournament will start up in the next couple weeks and we are bound to get to watch some good lacrosse!
