http://www.lax.com/stories/2077
Second (or is it first?) Round of the Division III tournament starts on Saturday with lots of good games. Here are the pairings and what you can expect to see on Saturday night:
Cortland State vs. Springfield-At Cortland State Saturday May 10 1pm EST. Cortland has been the #2 of Division III for the past three seasons. Even if they won the 2007 championship, many thought it was a fluke considering it was on a questionable goal in OT. Springfield plays a consitantlevel of quality lacrosse every year, but usually loses in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. They have a chance against Cortland, but I expect Cortland to win.
Middlebury vs. Bowdoin- At Middlebury Saturday May 10 1pm EST. Before Cortland came along, Middlebury was either winning or losing the DIII title game for about eight years running. Both Middlebury and Bowdoin are in the competitive NESCAC and have to play each other at least once a year. In the past eight years they have played each other nine times. Middlebury has won seven times, but Bowdoin lost by a goal three of those times, including earlier this year. It will be a close game, but since Middlebury will be at home I will give them the edge to win.
Ithaca vs. Williams- At Ithaca Saturday May 10 1pm EST. Neither of these teams had to play a play-in game. So they each come in after some time off. Ithaca has not played since winning the Empire 8 conference on April 22nd. Williams played and won the NESCAC title game on May 4th. It will be a test for the Bombers to see if they let their sticks collected any dust. Ithaca is 15-2 this season andhad a big win over Cortland State. Williams plays a competitive schedule through the NESCAC and finished the year with wins over Middlebury and Bowdoin. This should be a very close game, I think Ithaca has an advantage at home, but I think Williams will pull off the upset.
Western New England vs St. Lawrence-At St. Lawrence May 10 2pm EST. St. Lawerence won the Liberty AQ andalmost beat top ranked Salisbury early in the season. Western New England played a play-in game on Tuesday and thrashed Western Connecticut. Both of these teams seem evenly matched. While St. Lawrence is 11-2 and WNE is 14-4, The Golden Bears have played five more games. Which could give them more experience, but it could tire them out as well. St. Lawrence is playing at home, but I don’t think they have beaten enough great teams to beat WNE. It will be a close one, but WNE will move on.
Salisbury vs. Ohio Wesleyan- At Salisbury May 10 7:30pm EST- Salisbury and OWU met up early in the season and Salisbury won 14-10. The Sea Gulls had closer shaves in their undefeated season. Which is why I think they will win on Saturday. Salisbury is the DIII equivalent of Hopkins, at tournament time, they find that extra gear that gets them to the Championship Game.
Cabrini vs. Haverford- At Cabrini Saturday May 10 1pm EST- Cabrini won the PAC and has a 16-2 record with a 13-8 win at Haverford already this year. Haverford has the chance for revenge in the rematch. Even though they have a 11-4 record, they play in a much tougher conference with WAC and Gettysburg amongst other tough schools. Cabrini will pull of another win though, I don’t see Haverford being able to put enough together for a win.
Washington College vs. Lynchburg- At Washington College May 10 1:30pm EST- WAC lost the Centennial Conference title, but comes in with a 13-3 record. Lynchburg is 16-2 and won the ODAC AQ. Both teams lost to Salisbury and WAC lost to Gettysburg twice. I think WAC plays a tougher schedule which will give them an advantage in addition to playing at home.
Denison vs. Gettysburg- At Gettysburg May 10 1pm EST- This is another game that is a rematch of an earlier meeting. Gettysburg beat Denison9-5 in March. I don’t see the Big Red coming up with enough to beat the #2 Bullets. Especially since Denison had to play in a play-in game and Gettysburg has been resting for a week. No contest. Gettysburg will win.
There are some obvious trends in the DIII Tournament. The home team will usually win because they are higher ranked and a much better team, but you can’t assume every time the home team will win. There will be a few upsets, but the safe bet is always on the team at home.
