Ohanian's Bracket Breakdown: Division II Men
The 2009 NCAA Divisions I, II and III men's and women's
lacrosse tournaments were announced Sunday, with the standard fare
of intrigue and drama surrounding the brackets. LMO's Jac Coyne,
Matt DaSilva and Paul Ohanian play Monday morning
midfielders with post-selection analysis.
Bookmark LMO at www.laxmagazine.com
for the most widespread coverage of the NCAA tournaments.
by Paul Ohanian | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
No. 1-ranked Le Moyne, the only undefeated team in the nation,
and No 2 C.W. Post will host the two semifinal games in the NCAA
Division II men's lacrosse tournament.
Le Moyne, which captured the NE-10 championship with a 10-2 win
over No. 4 Merrimack on Sunday, will face the Warriors for the
third time this season. C.W. Post welcomes No. 6 Limestone.
The championship provides for a four-team tournament, with one
team selected from each of the three regions (North, Central and
South) and one at-large team from any region. Teams selected from
the same region are paired for semifinal
competition.
The match-ups, scheduled to be played on May 16 or 17, are:
Merrimack (14-2) at Le Moyne (15-0)
Limestone (10-3) at C.W. Post (13-1)
Both of Merrimack's losses this season came against Le Moyne,
including a 5-4 loss at home on April 11. Le Moyne finished as
national runner-up last year, losing to NYIT in the national
championship game.
C.W. Post won the East Coast Conference title this year, finishing
undefeated in league play. The Pioneers lost their only game of the
season by a 6-5 score at Le Moyne on March 21.
Limestone won the Carolinas Conference championship. Its three
losses this season were against Belmont Abbey, Le Moyne and
Wingate.
With just four teams selected, there's not a lot of analysis
required. But here are some additional thoughts.
LAST TEAM IN
Merrimack
The Warriors lost just two games this season - both against Le
Moyne - and secured the final spot despite losing 10-2 in the NE-10
championship game on Sunday.
FIRST TEAM OUT
NYIT
The defending national champions seemed to be the frontrunner for
the fourth spot, but lost to Mercyhurst in Saturday's regular
season finale. The Bears were left on the outside looking in
despite finishing 10-2 overall, with their other loss coming
against C.W. Post.
SNUBBED
Mercyhurst
The Lakers defeated NYIT in Saturday's season finale and finished
with an 11-3 record. Two of the three losses were against Le Moyne
and C.W. Post, but it was likely that their one-goal loss at Molloy
on April 11 was ultimately the difference between making the field
and being left out.
BEST FIRST-ROUND MATCHUP
Merrimack-Le Moyne
Sunday's NE-10 championship game notwithstanding, the Warriors
have the confidence it takes to beat the Dolphins. Le Moyne won the
regular season game by one goal, and faces the tough challenge of
having to beat a good team for the third time this season to reach
the national championship game.
