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With so many NCAA men’s lacrosse games, it’s not easy to pick out which ones you want to watch. Here, we’ll break down some of the best match-ups that will be played this upcoming week. Score predictions, players to watch, and the best games to tune into are broken-down below.
NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Predictions: February 15
This next Friday, there are four games being played in NCAA men’s division 1 lacrosse, and we expect there to be some serious firepower on display. Our lock for this Friday is a sizable win for Towson over Mt. St. Mary’s. It’s gonna be an exciting Friday, and you won’t want to miss out.
Towson Towering Over Mt. St. Mary’s
Expect Towson to put up some big numbers over MSM on Friday. Both of these teams have shown off some really cool throwback jerseys they’ll be rocking this season, but style only gets you so far. Towson has a high-powered offense that just hung 17 up on Hopkins in their last match. MSM, on the other hand, lost a close one to Delaware and is looking to bounce back this Friday. Mount had a late run in an attempt to win their opener but couldn’t seal the deal. Towson should have a rather easy victory if they can perform at the same caliber that they did against Hopkins. Prediction: Towson +11 goals.
UMBC & Navy Dogfight
These two teams battled out a close one last year, and we expect to see the same on Friday. UMBC is opening their season with this game, while Navy recently beat Vermont in a 5 goal victory. Both of these teams are known for hustle and hard work, so expect to see a lot of up and down play with a lower score. This should be a defensive battle that goes to whoever wants the victory more. Every goal will be worth
Marquette Taking Talents South to Jacksonville
The baby blue and glittery gold are heading south to battle the Phins of Jacksonville, and we expect a victory for Marquette. Jacksonville does have something to prove considering they started this season 0-2; however, Marquette is never an easy opponent. This is the same team that has taken down almighty Denver and made everyone put some respect on their name. Unfortunately for the Phins, they will likely feel that same wrath this Friday. Jacksonville was competitive enough with Duke and almost came back against Detroit Mercy but they have a very tough opponent coming down from Wisconsin. Prediction: Marquette +4 goals.
Lafayette and Wagner Both Look to Go Positive
These two teams are both 1-1 at the moment, but Lafayette has the more convincing victory over NJIT. Wagner has been involved in two 1 goal games, and their match-up with Lafayette should also be a close one. Lafayette had a solid showing against Rutgers and had the Leopards would have done even better had they not been out-muscled at the X 23-3. This should come down to which team can possess the ball for more time, win the GB battle, and hold their own at the X. Prediction: Lafayette +2 goals.
NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Predictions: February 16
Ohio State and UMass Make it Messy
Ohio State looks to move on to 3-0 as they take on UMass this Saturday up north. The Buckeyes have put on solid performances so far over CSU and BU and now they look to mow down another Massachusetts institute of higher learning. UMass is fresh off an OT loss to Army, and Ohio State is probably going to receive a lot of pent up aggression from that loss. Any team that loses in OT has something to prove the next time they step on the field. UMass should come out very hot, but Ohio State is normally the more skilled team with their recent history of Canadian finishers. Expect a bloody one that’s both Scarlet and Grey. Ohio State +1 goal.
Denver Definitely Doesn’t Want Duke to Win
This should be one of the most talked about games of the day and it’s easily one of the top one’s to tune in to. Denver and Duke won the NCAA championship in consecutive years and are current powerhouses. Denver is coming off of a solid win over Air Force, while Duke just caught an L from underdog High Point. Duke players were astonished by the loss and were seen putting up shots on their field late into the night trying to forget the loss. They’ll be firey in right off the bat, but Denver should douse the Blue Devils before they start a wildfire. The battle between Tierney and Danowski should be one of the aged…I mean ages. Denver +4 goals.
Maryland Might Make Penn Regret Playing on Saturday
Maryland is on the coldest hot streak of all time right now as they begin the season 2-0 with wins over Bucknell and Richmond. The Richmond game was a little too close for comfort for the Terps since they squeaked out a
Loyola Hounds Hope to Hammer Hopkins
Loyola, behind Pat Spencer, look to improve their record after a convincing win over a scrappy UVA. Conversely, Hopkins is praying to get their season up to .500 after being handed a bad loss from Towson. This is an underrated rivalry that many new lacrosse fans aren’t aware of; but, these two Maryland based teams are far from friends.
Emotions always run wild in games like this; however, the same could’ve been said about the Hopkins/Towson match up, and that ended badly for the Jays. In college lacrosse, it can be anyone’s day any day, and Hopkins could come out looking like a completely different squad than what we saw from them in their last contest. And you know that Coach Pietramala isn’t going to let his team go quietly if he can help it. Nonetheless, Loyola should come out on top if they can keep getting the rock into Spencer’s stick. Loyola +5 goals.
UNC Should See Themselves Taking Down Harvard
The Heels have been a very powerful squad for the past few years after a 20+ year hiatus from winning it all, and nothing seems to have changed going into the 2019 season. Currently, at 2-0, UNC is on a mission to find themselves back at Championship weekend and get back to their winning ways. They are a very deep team, and it’s never easy to win against a team with lots of players putting the ball in the net. Harvard will have to lock them down defensively and try to keep UNC from getting double-digit goals. If Harvard can keep UNC under 10 goals, then they have a much better chance of winning; but, that’s easier said than done. Expect UNC and Harvard to go on runs back and forth with plenty of energy on both sides of the ball. UNC +4 goals.
Albany Will Lead an All-out Attack on Cuse
Syracuse has a lot to prove if they want to still be taken seriously this year. Fluke or not, the loss to Colgate is going to be in their mind all day Saturday as they try to climb back up the ranks. Albany +6 goals.
Can Colgate Continue their Crusade Against Binghampton?
After riding high on their upset victory over Syracuse, the Raiders of Colgate are hoping to prove themselves as a contender this year. Their game this weekend against Binghampton isn’t a highly anticipated match up; however, if they can lay down a beating on the Bearcats, it’ll be a big statement to the rest of the lacrosse world. They were even on the wrong side of the penalty match up vs Syracuse and were able to notch two late goals to seal the victory. If that doesn’t show that they are a calm, cool, and collected Colgate, I don’t know what will. They might want to take it easy and ride this out for a leisurely win, but I’d love to see Colgate exert their wrath on Binghampton in an all-out goal fest. Colgate +12 goals.
Army and Rutgers Head to the Trenches for a Battle of the Knights
After an OT win over UMass, Army is probably feeling themselves and fixing for another fight. There’s nothing like a sudden death victory, and that momentum can carry a team through their next several contests.
I like Army’s chances against a Rutgers squad that is 2-0 because West Point has grit. Also, Nate Jones, their leading scorer from last year, is yet to net one. Unless he’s in a major slump, he’ll likely deliver against Rutgers. Freshman Brendan Nichtern was the one doing the delivering against UMass and he’ll likely do it again on Saturday too. If Rutgers can keep the ball away from those two and put up more than six goals, they’ll win. Unfortunately, that’s a tall order and Rutgers will have to shoot the lights out for that to happen. The Scarlet Knights have a high powered offense lead by Kieren Mullens and Adam Charalambides, but the Black Knights’ AJ Baretto is on a hot streak in goal.
This is gonna be one that comes down to how much grit Army can muster up because their faceoff play has been lackluster, while Rutgers has been doing very well on the X. I still like the momentum Army has off of that OT win and they also bested Rutgers in their last contest. Black Knights +2 goals.
Marist Makes Air Force Feel the Sting of Revenge
Most of Marist’s many losses from last year were surprising close contests, including their 8-7 loss to Air Force. That is one that likely has stuck in a few players’ heads as the one that got away. With that in mind, they will want to come out firing in their first game of the season and show the world they’re at least one goal better than they were last year.
There’s nowhere to go but up for Marist, and I think they’ll try to make the first step this Saturday when they travel to play Air Force. The boys in blue, but not the police, are fresh off a seven-goal loss to Denver. Now that’s pretty normal for most teams that play Denver, but Air Force was scoreless in the first and the fourth quarters. If you aren’t producing for half the game, then there’s no way you can win against anyone in Division 1 men’s lacrosse. Let’s see if they do any better against the little Red Foxes, or fall prey to them. Marist +1 goal.
Boston University Terriers Tear Apart Whatever Dartmouth Has As a Mascot
BU lacrosse is sitting and 1-1 right now, but it’s always a great day to get better. The Terriers fell to OSU in their last game, but their superstar James Burr got his 100th goal. He’s a huge part of their offense and he should definitely be adding to that tally against Dartmouth. Last year when these two teams met, BU bested Dartmouth by six and now the Terriers are looking a little sharper than they used to be.
Dartmouth is coming off a two-win season and that included a nine-game losing streak to finish off the year. That should make for a team hungry to find themselves in the win column for once. Dartmouth, just like Marist, only has an upside if you ask me; but, that upside isn’t going to be on the up and up this weekend. BU +5 goals.
Brown Is Bringing the Battle Back to Quinnipiac
Last year these two squads settled their differences in OT, and Quinnipiac walked away with the W. This year, I think Brown is gonna take it the other way. Brown had an up and down year last year, but the Bears are due for another solid season. Eight out of nine of their top scorers from last year returned, and so did their starting goalie, Phil Goss. Brown bears are also just very cool in general, and you should look up some videos of them.
Bobcats are also pretty awesome animals that I would recommend checking out some videos of, but, as a lacrosse team, they won’t be taking down the Bears this year. But it will be close. Quinnipiac also had an up and down year last year, but this off season they went through some troubles with hazing allegations. That kind of distraction is never good, and Quinnipiac is already out to an 0-1 start after losing to UMass Lowell. Let that be a lesson to everyone, that you should focus on lacrosse and not put your, or your team’s, future at risk over hazing. Brown +2 goals.
Yale’s Bulldogs Bark Viciously at Villanova’s Wild Cats
If you don’t think Yale is going to win this game, you probably didn’t watch Yale play last year. Even without Ben Reeves, this team is extremely dangerous and always looking to score. Matt Gaudet, the Undertaker, is returning, and TD Ierlan transferred to Yale as well. That alone should get Yale a few points on the board against anyone. That anyone this weekend is Villanova, who just recently lost 10-17 against another feline forward school, Penn State. Always bet on the good boys because all dogs go to heaven. Yale +9 goals.
Can Virginia Cavaliers Lay Down the Law on Lehigh?
Virginia didn’t have a very impressive start against Loyola, but they did manage to put away nine goals. The team returned a lot of contributors from last year, and the odds are looking in their favor against Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks just finished a struggle of a game against Hofstra that ended 4-3 in favor of the Hof. Lehigh was held scoreless in the fourth and let up three goals in the very same quarter. It goes to show you that you’re never allowed to let your foot off the gas, and Lehigh might not have filled their tank up enough to keep up with UVA either. Don’t expect the Mountain Hawks to go down lightly, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t have a strong fourth quarter. Virginia +3 goals.
Penn State is Betting to Pummel Stony Brook
Penn State is going to be a force to be reckoned with this year. The Nittany Lions have been putting up big numbers in their first two games, and there’s no reason for them to slow down now. Grant Ament is practically a Lil Wayne lyric on the field because he is serving anyone like a blind waiter. The man has 13 assists and 4 goals in two games. He might actually be on X-games mode. Nonetheless, Penn State hasn’t let either of their previous two opponents within striking distance, and the Sea Wolves should get the same treatment.
Stony Brook is returning their top ten scorers from last year, but how do you stop a train like Penn State? No one on the Sea Wolves’ roster from last year was very successful at the X, and that would be their only prayer of stopping the Nittany Lions. Don’t watch this game if you hate seeing Penn State score goals. Penn State +11 goals.
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