(Inside Lacrosse Photo: Larry French)

Who doesn’t love a good payback story? Aside from Brown vs. Stony Brook, which is just a fantastic matchup, this week’s undercard is filled with them, as last season’s meetings certainly must have left a bitter taste in the losing parties’ mouths. Whether they were stunned in overtime, (maybe) wronged by the refs or simply saw their season fall apart after the fact, there’s no doubt that some of these teams circled this weekend on their calendars quite some time ago.

Check out the Epoch Scoreboard for live scores, stats and more. Here are five games to watch this weekend.

No. 8 Brown (1-0) at Stony Brook (2-0)

When : 1 pm Saturday

: 1 pm Saturday Last Meeting: N/A

N/A MLL Draft Picks: Brown - Brendan Caputo (26th overall, Charlotte Hounds), Jack Kelly (57th overall, Denver Outlaws); Stony Brook - Challen Rogers (32nd overall, Boston Cannons), Brodie Eastwood (52nd overall, New York Lizards)

With all due respect to two tremendously capable defenses, a meeting between the Bears and Seawolves projects to do NBA all-star numbers. After all, these are two of last season’s highest-scoring offenses (Stony Brook’s 23.06 points per game and Brown’s 22.12 good for fourth and sixth in the nation, respectively), and with both programs’ main contributors back in their lineups for at least one more season, things have picked up right where they left off. Last weekend, Brown kicked off its season with a 20-7 win at Qunnipiac, while the Seawolves tossed in a combined 34 goals against Sacred Heart and St. Johns.

Should the scoring skew towards the preposterous, among those responsible will likely be Brown’s Dylan Molloy and Stony Brook’s Brody Eastwood, who both scored 62 goals last season (they tied for second in the nation; Albany’s Connor Fields scored 66). While they both led their teams in scoring, Molloy and Eastwood did so while utilizing very different skills. On one hand, Molloy doled out 30 assists, five times as many as Eastwood. On the other hand, while 64.5% of Molloy’s shots were on goal, 64% of Eastwood’s went in said goal.

Speaking of alarming precision, Stony Brook midfielder Challen Rogers (30G, 23A in 2015) scored on 46% of his shots last season, good for 10th overall and second-best among midfielders (he trailed Nicky Galasso by .001).

Seemingly impervious to offseason rust, Molloy scored five goals last weekend against Qunnipiac. Meanwhile, the Stony Brook duo has alternated spotlight time after two games, Eastwood scoring six goals and three assists against Sacred Heart, Rogers contributing three goals and four assists against St. John’s.

Marquette (1-0) at Richmond (3-0)

When : Noon Saturday

: Noon Saturday Last Meeting: Feb. 22, 2015 – Marquette won 11-10 in overtime

Feb. 22, 2015 – Marquette won 11-10 in overtime MLL Draft Picks: Marquette - Liam Byrnes (21st overall, Florida Launch), Jacob Richard (35th overall, New York Lizards), BJ Grill (40th overall, Denver Outlaws).

When Marquette defeated Richmond a little over one year ago (its third of what became seven consecutive wins to begin its season), attackman Jordan Greenfield led the way with six goals, including the game-winner. Greenfield, who led the Golden Eagles in goals, assists and points last season, has since graduated, but out of Marquette’s top 11 scorers from last season, he’s the only one they’ll have to replace.

The Richmond Spiders have already avenged one of last season’s five losses by defeating UMBC, 7-5, last weekend (Richmond allowed only six shots in the second half), and Tuesday’s 9-6 win over Mt. Saint Mary’s has them at 3-0 for the first time. Attackman Mitch Goldberg, who scored five goals against Marquette last season, leads the way with eight goals and two assists, while Peter Moran is has won 62% of his faceoffs. The Golden Eagles, who won only 43% of theirs last season, gladly send sophomore Zachary Melillo to the X this year. Melillo, a transfer from NJIT, went 11-of-18 last weekend against Bellarmine.

No. 16 Navy (2-1) at Boston University (3-1)

When : 1 p.m. Saturday

: 1 p.m. Saturday Last Meeting: March 28, 2015 - Navy won 14-6

March 28, 2015 - Navy won 14-6 MLL Draft Picks: N/A

Last March, 6-2 Boston University arrived in Annapolis in the midst of a four-game winning streak. Not only were they solidly trounced by the Midshipmen, but the loss also marked the beginning of a six-game losing streak that only concluded when their season did. This weekend marks the beginning of Patriot league inter-conference play, and the Terriers look to rebound from a 16-10 loss to Hartford by taking down last year’s regular season Patriot League champion, the very team responsible for their tailspin.

Payback won’t come easy, however, and based on the Midshipmen’s last performance, neither will scoring at all. After holding Delaware to only one goal last weekend, Navy’s Chris Fennell and John Connors were named Patriot League defensive player and goalie of the week, respectively. Meanwhile, longstick midfielder Matt Rees, who leads the team with six caused turnovers, caused six in last year’s BU matchup alone.

After the first three games of the season, Navy’s Brady Dove has won 26 of his 50 draws (52%), and while he’d won exactly 26 at this point last year as well, he’d done so in 15 fewer attempts. BU’s Sam Talkow has seen more opportunity and success, winning 48 of 70 (69%) this season. Last year, when both players entered the game averaging 71%, Talkow won 11 of the 23 draws he took, with Dove and teammate Joe Varello going 8-14 and 5-10, respectively.

No. 4 Maryland (1-0) at No. 7 Yale (1-0)

When : 1 p.m. Saturday

: 1 p.m. Saturday Last Meeting: May 9, 2015 - Maryland won 8-7

May 9, 2015 - Maryland won 8-7 MLL Draft Picks: Maryland - Matt Dunn (seventh overall, Rochester Rattlers), Kyle Bernlohr (11th overall, Ohio Machine), Henry West (12th overall, Florida Launch), Pat Young (13th overall, Charlotte Hounds), Bryan Cole (16th overall, Ohio Machine), Greg Danseglio (19th overall, Atlanta Blaze); Yale - Michael Quinn (eighth overall, Ohio Machine), Mark Glicini (30th overall, Chesapeake Bayhawks)

These teams split their meetings last year, with Yale winning 10-6 last February, its second win in 12 meetings. They met again in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and the Terps laughed last and loudest, holding the Bulldogs scoreless for the final 14 minutes while scoring four goals of their own. The Bulldogs’ chance to force overtime resulted in Yale’s version of the Jeffery Maier glove or the Brett Hull skate: The controversial no-goal, when Michael Keasey fired a shot that hit the crossbar and bounced in, then out of the goal (or else bounced harmlessly away from the goal, largely depending on whether you live north or south of Pennsylvania) with little over 20 seconds remaining.



Both of their meetings last season were fairly low-scoring affairs (no surprise, really – Maryland allowed a top-ranked 7.1 goals per game, while Yale was ninth with 8.1), but it’s worth noting that both offenses came out strong in their opening games of 2016. Bryan Cole scored a career-high seven points (3, 4) in Maryland’s 15-10 win over High Point, while Ben Reeves matched the effort with seven of his own (4, 3) in Yale’s 17-7 win over UMass Lowell. If the Bulldogs’ offense continues their high-octane delivery, among Maryland’s primary concerns will be the availability of defenseman Matt Dunn, the two-time captain who sat out the Terps’ season opener last weekend (while not inherently the cause of his absence, it should be noted that Dunn underwent foot surgery in the offseason). Virginia transfer Greg Danseglio stepped up in Dunn’s absence, scooping six groundballs and causing two turnovers on his way to being named Big Ten Defensive player of the week. If Dunn returns to the lineup, his presence will be greatly appreciated; in addition to Ben Reeves, someone will need to account for Yale freshman Brendan Rooney, who scored three goals on three shots in his collegiate debut.

Next Page: The Main Event — UNC-Hopkins



No. 11 UNC (2-1) at No. 8 Hopkins (1-1)

When : Noon Sunday

: Noon Sunday Last Meeting: February 21, 2015 - North Carolina won 13-11

February 21, 2015 - North Carolina won 13-11 MLL Draft Picks: UNC - Steve Pontrello (25th overall, Florida Launch), Jake Matthai (41st overall, Boston Cannons), Zach Powers (50th overall, Ohio Machine), Evan Connell (54th overall, Charlotte Hounds) ; Hopkins - Ryan Brown (Fourth overall – Charlotte Hounds), Holden Cattoni, (65th overall, Chesapeake Bayhawks), Derek Kihembo (68th overall, Ohio Machine)

It was all good just a week ago, as North Carolina’s offense, despite having graduating three All-Americans, had racked up a combined 34 goals in wins over Michigan and Furman. Suddenly everything changed, as the Hofstra Pride rolled down to Chapel Hill and brought any positive momentum to a screeching halt, defeating the Tar Heels 10-5. For North Carolina, it was not only its first loss to an unranked opponent since 2012, but its worst home defeat since a 15-10 loss to Virginia that same year.

(Note to optimistic Carolina fans: after its 10-6 loss to unranked Penn in 2012, the Tar Heels dusted themselves off, regained their composure, and a few weeks later defeated the top-ranked team in the nation. That team? The Johns Hopkins Blue Jays.)

Meanwhile in Baltimore, Johns Hopkins was losing 9-8 to rival Loyola, the combination of scoring only two first-half goals, along with an inability to convert on late opportunities, resulting in the Blue Jays’ third straight loss to the rival Greyhounds.

“We felt like we matched Loyola’s emotional output and their intensity in the second half, but we didn’t in the first half, and that’s something that we have talked about,” said head coach Dave Pietramala. “We’ve tried to make clear that we need to do a better job of that in practice, and based off the last two days of practice, the intensity level has been much higher.”

North Carolina head coach Joe Breschi expressed a similar sentiment when discussing its loss: “There were a ton of lessons, really, to learn from that game…overall, it was a message of we can’t have one guy off their game. We need to have everybody collectively playing with that sense of urgency from start to finish, that’s when we’re at our best.”

The similarity in the current state of these programs continues, and as both feature newcomers immediately inserted into pivotal roles, neither is by any means a finished product. For the Tar Heels, defenseman Jack Rowlett and attackman Timmy Kelly, who Breschi referred to as “a bright light offensively,” have earned starting spots as freshmen, with freshman Charles Kelly contributing at the face-off X as well. Pietramala, who points out that Hopkins is playing five new faces on the defensive end of the field, has been especially pleased with the play of longstick midfielder (and UMass transfer) Austin Spencer, freshman defenseman Pat Foley and freshman goalie Brock Turnbaugh (“He gets better every day in practice,” said Pietramala), who recorded 16 saves against Loyola.

Along with their new contributors, both teams return high-scoring attackmen, who, upon the graduation of last season’s primary ball carriers, must now embrace different roles than the ones in which they previously thrived.

“Everybody will look at Ryan Brown and see scoring goals, but he’s doing far more” said Pietramala, “He’s initiating more, he’s playing in the picking game more, he’s handling the ball more; he’s had to take on a different role because of the graduation of Wells (Stanwick), as has Shack (also Stanwick).”

While North Carolina senior Shane Pontrello has moved from midfield to attack, sophomore Luke Goldstock played the position last season, and as the lone returning starter, has seen his duties evolve as well. “He’s taken on more of a leadership role, for sure,” said Breschi, “Just having a lot of new guys, I think finding that chemistry is big, and Luke’s done a nice job with it. He’s gotten a lot more attention than in the previous year with the other two at attack...It’s new for him, he’s growing into it, but at the same time we’re trying to have him maintain the patience and the stick-to-it-ive-ness of what we do and what we’re all about.”

The previous years’ “other two” that Breschi referred to, of course, were Jimmy Bitter and Joey Sankey, two of the most dominant scorers in school history. Last year against Hopkins, the two combined for 11 points, each scoring their 100th career goal that afternoon. While their absence may seem like cause for Blue Jay celebration, Pietramala warns that the exact opposite could be true.

“They lost two really dynamic players, and you don’t just replace those guys with two other guys that are exactly like them, that’s what made those two special. But what you can do is do some things different schematically, you involve more guys, and then all of a sudden you can become a little bit more dangerous, because instead of focusing on two guys, now you’ve got to focus on six.”

Both programs are determined to prove that last week’s results were not a sign of things to come, and while there’s plenty lacrosse left to play this season, grabbing a win this weekend seems far more crucial than doing so in your typical February game. For the Tar Heels, the thought of falling to 2-2, with Denver coming to town next week and the ACC gauntlet on deck is an especially daunting prospect. For the Blue Jays, potentially rough waters lie ahead as well: aside from their Big Ten opponents, the remainder of their schedule consists of opponents they lost to last season.

Of course, none of that really matters at the moment; these teams are focused on nothing but the task at hand (“We’re not worried about what’s next, I think we’re worried about taking a step forward,” said Breschi), and with both coaches reporting that this week’s practices featured noticeable increases in urgency and intensity, all signs point to these squads coming out swinging, fueled by last week’s disappointing results.

“Let’s be honest, we’re going to see Carolina’s best effort,” said Pietramala. “It’s a very good team that we’re going to play, and the fact that they come off a loss, quite frankly, only serves to remind us that they’ll be a little bit hungrier and a little bit angrier.”