A lively Tuesday menu of midweek mayhem resulted in a rough afternoon for the bottom half of the Ivy League, with Brown, Harvard, and Dartmouth all losing. That trend continued on Wednesday as Army walloped Yale. The Ivies bounced back on Saturday as Harvard took down Syracuse.
Seven Top 20 matchups highlighted the Saturday menu. Nobody was smart enough to play a standalone game on Sunday.
Fan bases are already aflame. Syracuse, Yale, and Virginia backers are astonished by the February results.
I found this week’s ranking exercise fairly simple for spots #1-9—then nearly impossible for #10-20.
20) Fairfield
Sometimes it takes more than 60 minutes. On Wednesday, the Stags needed 66 minutes to earn a double-overtime win over cross-town rival Sacred Heart. Rob Moore accelerated up the right hash and gave Fairfield the 13-12 victory. Luke Okupski added four goals. Fairfield celebrated on the snowbanks.
On Saturday, they did it again, topping Manhattan in overtime 8-7 behind a game-winner from Keegan Lynch.
The Stags made NCAA playoff appearances in 2002 and 2005. Andy Baxter was hired away from Yale (defensive coordinator) in 2019, and the build has been underway in the CAA. They’ll add spice to a lively league race among Towson, Delaware, and Stony Brook.
Stags play Providence on March 1.
19) Ohio State
Five straight wins for OSU, the latest a 14-5 eye-opener against Virginia. The Buckeyes lost their first game to Utah and have since beaten Detroit, Cleveland State, Bellarmine, Air Force, and Virginia. I’m not a believer yet.
When the Bucks play Bryant on Saturday, it’ll be the halfway point of their season—seven games played, seven to go. That’s both scary and a sad commentary on how men’s lacrosse has become a winter sport.
18) Boston University
Respect the Terriers at (4-0) with victories over Siena, Brown, Monmouth, and Air Force.
17) Michigan
The Wolverines (2-2) lost to Duke in overtime. They play a pair of tune-ups before facing Harvard on March 8.
16) Denver
The Pios got destroyed by Cornell in frigid Ithaca. Pioneers welcome Marist and Quinnipiac to town on Friday and Sunday.
15) Colgate
Raiders blasted Villanova 16-5 and have pocketed wins over Harvard and Albany. Their 10-man ride and aggressive mindset are fun to watch. The Patriot League is going to be fantastically chaotic in 2025.
14) Syracuse
It’s better to hit a rough patch now and learn from it than to coast through a bunch of cupcakes. I was part of a national championship team that began the season at (3-2). Syracuse fans, hope that the pair of sobering setbacks to Maryland and Harvard lead to growth.
I see too many wasted or empty possessions. Careless turnovers have become a problem. Impatience and poor shot selection have been common themes. It appears as if the strategy doesn’t vary much from week to week. Halftime adjustments? SU lost a game against Cornell in 2024 after building a seven-goal lead. They led Harvard by five. Where’s the killer instinct?
Dissecting the Maryland film, it was evident that the Terps played an A-level game, and SU I would give a C+. The conditions were not ideal at 37° and raining, and the Dome team clearly was not comfortable with their stick work and shooting. Shooting 7 for 41 never wins. Rain and cold are not an excuse. Against a goalie of that quality, you cannot shoot low-to-low and expect the ball to go in.
Maryland scored three rebound goals, a pole goal, and two on extra man. So the SU defense was not bad in settled sets.
After the home loss to the Crimson, it’s apparent that SU lacks dodgers on attack. When Harvard switched on picks and Joey Spallina was not able to beat a short-stick defender, you’ve got problems. They’re highly skilled but don’t have a go-to dodger when they need to draw a slide or attack the goal.
Utah is up next for SU.
13) Harvard
The Crimson have been playing lacrosse for 145 years. Their last championship was before my time—in 1915. A signature win over Syracuse in the Dome quickly changes the trajectory of the season and announces to the Ivy League that Harvard won’t be an easy out.
After trailing by five goals, Harvard won the second, third, and fourth quarters despite being -24 in the FO department. They lost 28 draws and won four. Amazing. Syracuse only put seven shots on goal in the second half. Miles Botkiss and Teddy Malone were the heroes.
Harvard welcomes Marquette to Cambridge this weekend.
12) Richmond
Defense is the name of the game for Richmond. Goalie Zach Vigue made 13 saves and is now just two saves away from 500 for his career.
A one-goal win over Lehigh (9-8) after beating UVA in C-Ville is a positive start. Spiders tangle with Cornell on March 2 at Robbins Stadium on beanie giveaway day.
11) Penn
After an opening-day loss to G-Town, the Quakers used that failure to fuel a Tuesday win over Albany. A 5-1 lead set the tone. Chris Patterson (4,1) and Ben Smith (3,2) were the most productive. Freshman FOGO Stevie Davis went 12-of-23 (.522).
The Quakers’ defense is formidable, and they held Delaware to basically nothing on Saturday. Emmet Carroll made 14 saves and gave up just two goals. A 10-2 victory, one of a handful across the nation, illustrates a decrease in average scoring.
10) Georgetown
The Swamp Dogs (2-2) have faced Loyola, Johns Hopkins, Penn, and Notre Dame. Give them credit for the company they keep. They scrapped against ND with a defensive plan that limited crease scorer Jake Taylor. Problem is, they can’t score. In their last three games, the offense has mustered 6, 8, and 9 goals. That’s not going to cut it against the upper echelon.
Hoyas are at Brown on Saturday.
Freshman FOGO Ross Prince is off to a strong start. The Big East appears to be wide open after a rough weekend where GT, Denver, Nova, and Providence all lost.
9) Duke
An OT win over Michigan is admirable. Duke is seemingly building an identity around a talented defense, which is a new vibe in Durham. It’s a rebranding by CEO John Danowski, who realizes the strength of his team begins with its rope unit and stable of d-men.
Defenders Keith Boyer, Jake Wilson, and Charlie Johnson are protecting the paint. Shorties Jack Gray and Aidan Maguire are elite. Pole Mac Christmas is a danger running the field.
I like the first midfield group a lot. The attack has questions to answer after combining for just one point. Against Michigan, Andrew McAdorey scored the game’s final three goals in a takeover moment.
Duke entertains Princeton on Friday and Penn on Sunday.
8) Johns Hopkins
When the opposing team’s two most lethal players, Owen Duffy and Dom Pietramala, take 15 and 16 shots each (89%), and the rest of the team takes a combined four shots—it would appear to require kindergarten-level defensive adjustments. None came in the Jays’ 13-12 home loss to UNC.
What was the matchup plan? D-man Scott Smith successfully covered Owen Duffy in 2024, yet lefty Quintan Kilrain started on #8. The Jays slid to everything and ran around with their hair on fire, failing to limit touches for #77 and #8. The inability to contain Duffy (4G) and Pietramala (6G) proved fatal. It was one of the most top-heavy production games I’ve ever witnessed. And one of the rare instances where the JHU defense was to blame. That unit had held 13 consecutive opponents to 11 goals or fewer.
The Hopkins offense played well, with Russell Melendez and Matt Collison starring. Melendez is spending more time behind the goal. The ball movement was crisp, and the ball reversal effective. The bench didn’t provide much outside of a Sean Crogan wing iso goal.
Their faceoff unit—Logan Callahan, Patrick Hackler, and the wingers—was superbly tough on draws and seemed to have answers and adjustments. The goalie matchup on Saturday was a wash. Hopkins will be double-poled on a weekly basis.
So here we are in 2025. Hopkins fans living in the Dark Ages of program history—a decade of disappointment. The last time the Blue Jays made a Championship Weekend appearance was 2015. Have expectations at Hopkins changed since the golden era?
The current administration has given Coach Pete Milliman time and patience. Clearly, they’ve been rewarded with gradual improvement. (12-6) in 2023 with a quarterfinal loss to ND, and (11-5) in 2024 with a quarterfinal loss to Virginia are positive trends after hitting rock bottom (4-9) in 2021 and (7-9) in 2022.
Can JHU get over the hump? I get the sense that they are very close.
The Blue Jays welcome Virginia to Homewood Field on Saturday at noon (ESPN+). Mark Dixon and I will be up top in the Sol Kumin Press Box for ESPN.
UVA attackman McCabe Millon was hit hard and high with :37 left in the Buckeyes’ blowout win, and his status is uncertain. UVA is reeling after losses to Richmond and Ohio State. Their half-court offense has been dreadful.
7) UNC
Epic performances from Dom Pietramala and Owen Duffy led to a 13-12 UNC win on Homewood Field. Pietramala, the son of JHU icon Dave Pietramala, put on a shooting clinic, as his dad led the Tar Heel defense.
The Heels enjoyed Sammy’s fine cuisine on Friday night in Hunt Valley, and the duo of Duffy and Pietramala ate all afternoon as Hopkins provided a dessert buffet.
The new UNC no-name defense—Kai Prohaszka, Chase Cellucci, and Cole Aasheim—is a likable trio with mobility, heart, energy, and upside. The Heels’ rope unit is excellent with Leif Hagerup, Andrew O’Berry, and LSM Paul Barton. Offensive midfielders will have to ramp it up. Lefty Ryan Levy added some IQ and distribution qualities that gave JHU headaches.
I prefer a more narrow and mobile stance for grad goalie Michael Gianforcaro. The super-wide stance isn’t for everybody—it’s not ideal for smaller goalies who need to rely on quickness and movement.
The Heels double-poled JHU’s first midfield but didn’t apply much ball pressure, allowing Hopkins to spin the ball without fear. Next time these teams meet, Carolina’s offense will need a stronger depth of offensive contribution.
The Heels host Penn on Friday and Princeton on Sunday in the ACC-Ivy Challenge. These games will be awesome and available on ESPN+.
6) Army
Add Army to the list of Championship Weekend contenders. They’re undefeated and have won their games by an average of 9.25 goals.
With a team motto of “Keep the Change,” the 2023 Army squad won the Patriot League title and upset Maryland in College Park 16-15, advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals, where they lost a heartbreaker 10-9 to Penn State. In 2024, at one point in March, they were ranked #1 in the nation for the first time in program history. The Cadets finished (11-3), losing to BU in the Patriot League semifinal and were denied a postseason bid.
On Wednesday, Army led 5-0 less than 10 minutes into a midweek showdown at Yale. The Bulldogs’ giveaways were demoralizing. Army goalie Sean Byrne made 10 first-half stops, and the lead ballooned to 7-0, then 10-2 after 30 minutes. The Cadets banished Yale outside the Top 20 with a sleeper hold in the second half.
Jackson Eicher has been stockpiling points. Army aces the eye test—sharp, very sound defensively while protecting Byrne and the paint. They open Patriot play with Lafayette this weekend.
Army does not have a taxing non-league schedule outside of North Carolina, so their résumé is fragile. Wins over UMass, Rutgers, and Yale are a strong start for sure.
5) Penn State
Penn State has more Final Fours in the last six years than UNC has NCAA Tournament appearances. The Nittany Lions dispatched Navy 13-7 behind production from Luke Walstrum. A 53-27 shot advantage is enormous.
Opponents must respect the attack duo of Kyle Lehman and Matt Traynor. I think the close defense of Alex Ross, Kevin Parnham, and Will Costin is underrated.
Have you seen any highlights of freshman midfielder Hunter Aquino? Wow. He’s a tall (6-5) lefty with speed and skill—just another terrific recruit for coach Jeff Tambroni.
PSU is at Yale on March 1.
4) Princeton
Losing the second quarter 4-0 was costly in a 13-9 setback against Maryland. This was Princeton‘s closest defeat to Maryland in recent history, and a sign perhaps that the margin is shrinking.
A 4-2 Tiger lead became an 8-4 deficit as the Terps strangled possessions. Coulter Mackesy was a bright spot with (3,1).
Princeton had no real offensive contributions from their second midfield or bench and won just 10 of 26 face-offs.
Coulter Mackesy was my guest on the Quintessential Podcast this week.
3) Cornell
What if Cornell develops a defense that can hold opponents below 12 goals?
Big Red handled Denver on Saturday in Ithaca. It was cold but sunny. Snow drifts framed the field. A 6-1 and 10-1 early advantage sent the Pios’ hopes home quickly. CJ Kirst and Ryan Goldstein were dealing. A 15-5 dominant win—a warning flare to the country. The cold never bothered CJ.
Big Red plays Hobart on Tuesday and Richmond on Sunday.
2) Maryland
LSM Jack McDonald was back in the lineup against Syracuse, having been granted an extra year by the NCAA with a contingency to sit out the first two games of 2025. His seven ground balls against SU were impactful and give MD an elite 1-2 LSM combo with AJ Larkin.
Maryland clamped down on Princeton after four early Tiger goals. The Terp defense settled in and controlled the game. Princeton won six of the first seven face-offs.
The Terps’ offense is showing patience early in the shot clock. Under John Tillman, Maryland rarely beats itself. They are buttoned up for all restarts.
The Terps will be in Atlanta facing Notre Dame at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Georgia Tech (ACCN). Chris Cotter and Paul Carcaterra have the call.
1) Notre Dame
Rudy (3-0) flew to D.C. and picked up an 11-9 win over Georgetown. Junior goalie Thomas Ricciardelli made 16 saves in his road debut. A 17-game win streak and 39-3 record since April 2022 for Kevin Corrigan’s team. Seven different players scored in the win, with Chris Kavanagh (3,1) as the centerpiece.
Jordan Faison played, and the Irish got added points from LSM Will Donovan and midfielders Fisher Finley and Jalen Seymour. Goal scorer Jake Taylor had bagels, which is very unusual.
Defender Shawn Lyght was my guest last week on the Quintessential Podcast.
Notre Dame plays Maryland in Atlanta at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday, March 1 (ACCN). Georgia native and GT graduate Chris Cotter has the TV call with Paul Carcaterra in a 2024 title game rematch.
Q-Tips
When was the last time Virginia and Yale were out of the Top 20 simultaneously?
ACC: (15 – 4)
Big Ten: (21 – 7)
A10: (13 – 10)
Ivy: (10 – 8)
Patriot: (21 – 17)
AE (10 – 9)
Big East: (11 – 12)
CAA: (12 – 17)
NEC: (11 – 18)
MAAC: (11 – 23)
ASUN: (8 – 18)
Quint Kessenich covers college lacrosse for the ESPN family of networks and writes for LaxAllStars. Check out his weekly podcast at laxallstars.com in the media section. Recent guests include players Shawn Lyght, Coulter Mackesy, Billy Dwan III, and Casey Wilson.
