Stars Shine in Week 0 of the NCAA Lacrosse Season
February is arguably the greatest month of the year. It is the shortest month, it is the end of winter and most importantly, it marks the beginning of the NCAA Lacrosse season.
Lacrosse season is upon us, and the stars will shine bright week after week..
This weekend was packed with games, and the games were electric. All kinds of players made their mark in the opening week of the season, especially Jack Myers who lit up the field during Ohio State's inaugural game at Buckeye Lacrosse Stadium.
Myers, the Ohio State senior, absolutely lit the weekend up with a nine point outing against Air Force. With 194 points in 45 games coming into the season, a nine point outing in the opener sets Myers up to make a run at the Tewaaraton.
Myers is a star in his own right, but Duke has a trio of shining stars playing attack this season. Andrew McAdorey, Dyson Williams and Brennan O’Neill are showing the world that Duke belongs in the tournament this year.
The trio has 11 points each after two games, and Williams is leading the country with 11 goals after a seven goal performance Tuesday night against High Point. If you want to fall in love with lacrosse watch the three headed monster of Williams, O’Neill and McAdorey because they put on a show while tormenting defenses.
I know the title says “Stars Shine in Week 0”, but some stars didn’t shine the way they wanted. Joey Spallina of Syracuse went 1 for 15 in his first collegiate game, resulting in plenty of hate from social media. People need to remember that he is just a kid and he will shine for this squad in the future.
Syracuse freshmen are the topic right now, and the one that stood out Saturday afternoon was Finn Thomson. The Toronto native had a goal and two flashy assists in his first career game helping lead Gary Gait’s squad to a 7-5 victory over the Vermont Catamounts.
Gary Gait is a legend in the game of lacrosse, but is still earning his stripes as a coach. A coach that has earned his stripes is Denver’s Bill Tierney.
Saturday marked Tierney’s last first game of a season after announcing his retirement would come at the end of the season. His Denver squad squared up with Utah and came out victorious with a 12-4 victory. The score makes the game seem like a blowout, but it was a tight defensive battle up until the final quarter.
Johns Hopkins and Jacksonville had a late night beach themed game at the Rock Lacrosse Center in Jacksonville. Hopkins goalie Tim Marcille stopped 15 shots in the contest helping lead his team to a 12-7 victory. The victory looks good for the Blue Jays, but opponents may be able to expose their weak clearing ability in the future.
Bucknell, Rutgers and Maryland went into Saturday as favorites in their matchups, and came away with convincing victories. Maryland beat Richmond 15-4, while Rutgers knocked off Marist with a 20-8 victory. Mercer could not stop the Bucknell attack and fell 20-6 to the Bison.
Maryland holds the number one jersey in high regard, and for the first time in 40 years a close defender earned the number. Brett Makar, the best close defender in the country, earned the number and proved why on Saturday. He had five ground balls and 4 caused turnovers helping lead the top dog Terrapins to victory.
Unfortunately, the opening week wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for everyone. Lindenwood opened its first ever division one season with a major beatdown handed to them by Marquette. The Golden Eagles were way too strong for the Lions. Hopefully the future has better plans for Lindenwood.
Penn State’s future after the 2022 season was skeptical, but in their opening matchup, the Nittany Lions obliterated the Lafayette Leopards 21-11. The Traynor brothers, Chris Jordan and TJ Malone may be special all season for Jeff Tamrboni’s team.
Navy found a pair of wins during opening week, one over Mount St. Mary’s and the other over Queens. The wins were great for the team, but the best moment from those victories came when Jack Dennehy scored his first career goal. Following many injuries and the death of his father, the moment was special for Dennehy and his teammates.
Merrimack and Providence both grabbed wins on Sunday to spark their seasons. Both teams are looking to improve on performances from last year.
The eventful week of college lacrosse has sprouted into week 1, and my guess is every week will be eventful this season as teams and players separate themselves from the pack.
Hayden Lewis is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email lewis1818hayden@gmail.com.
