(Inside Lacrosse Photo: Mike Bahniuk)

There’s a scene in a Batman movie that seems to properly embody the current state of college lacrosse. Early in “The Dark Knight Rises,” Selina Kyle is dancing with Bruce Wayne, which, naturally leads to talk of income and wealth distribution. “There’s a storm coming, Mr. Wayne,” she says. “You and your friends better batten down the hatches, because when it hits, you’re all gonna wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us.”

Not to say it’s going extinct, but are we witnessing a serious shift in what we can chalk up as an automatic win? Think about it: How many times this season have we already asked ourselves if a victory was the biggest in a team’s history? First Michigan edges out Colgate, then High Point takes down Virginia in overtime, and on Monday, Richmond knocks out Duke. It’s only the second week of March and schools like Richmond and Boston University have more wins than they do years of existence.

The barrier between the ranked and unranked is not the brick wall it used to be. Frankly, In fact, it’s not even a chain-link fence. It’s a velvet rope, and if you carry yourself the right way, you can walk right in to the VIP section. Teams that used to carry Washington General status have become that little cousin you used to pick up and spin over your head, only now he’s got a mustache and sounds like Ving Rhames.

They’re coming up quick these days, and some of this week’s featured teams, such as Colgate and Duke, have been on the wrong end of these early season feel-good stories. Of course, not everyone is in that boat, and it’s business as usual at the top of the mountain, where our main event features two dominant programs without a single loss between them.

Be sure to check out the Epoch Scoreboard for live scores, stats and more, and here are five of the weekend’s biggest games.

No. 5 Towson (5-0) at No. 14 Johns Hopkins (2-2)

When : 2 p.m. Saturday on ESPNU

: 2 p.m. Saturday on ESPNU Last Meeting: Feb. 10, 2015; Towson won 7-5

Feb. 10, 2015; Towson won 7-5 MLL Draft Picks: Johns Hopkins - Ryan Brown (Fourth overall – Charlotte Hounds), Holden Cattoni, (65th overall, Chesapeake Bayhawks), Derek Kihembo (68th overall, Ohio Machine); Towson - Tyler White (27th overall, Charlotte Hounds)

It’s the third installment of an ESPNU Saturday triple-header (Harvard-Penn State kicks off at 10 a.m., followed by Maryland- Princeton at noon), and after defeating both Loyola and UMBC, Towson seeks to claim the final property on its Baltimore lacrosse Monopoly board. Johns Hopkins leads the all-time series 39-4, but as we just discussed in the intro, the past doesn’t seem to count for much these days: Towson’s win in 2015 snapped a streak of 19 consecutive losses to Hopkins, and after having already lost to Loyola (series score: 47-6 Hopkins) this season, the Blue Jays are running out of neighbors to push around.

Towson is off to its best start since 1992 (the Tigers won their first six games that season, finishing 9-3 and losing in the NCAA Quarterfinals to, you guessed it, Johns Hopkins), thanks in part to a defense that held UMBC to only nine shots on goal last week. Led by goalie Tyler White, the Tigers are allowing just 5.6 goals per game, and White’s 16 saves against Loyola last Wednesday helped him earn both CAA and NCAA defensive player of the week honors.

Ryan Brown’s 37-game goal-scoring streak may have come to an end last weekend, but Johns Hopkins still put on an offensive clinic, easily defeating Princeton 17-7 at Homewood. Not only did 16 different Blue Jays score at least one point, but the team recorded 14 assists, their highest single-game total since 2005.

Although the season is still fairly young, Shack Stanwick (2G, 3A vs. Princeton) appears to be growing increasingly comfortable with his increased role in the Hopkins offense, and the initiative required to quarterback it effectively. Stanwick has scored a combined 12 points in his two most recent games after tallying a certainly more than decent seven in his first two. The greatest disparity between the games, however, comes in his number of shots. After taking only 3.3 shots per game last season, Stanwick took a total of three in his first two games, followed by 11 in his two most recent. Frankly, he should probably keep shooting, not only to deny the short stick coverage he’s seen at times this season, but also because of his accuracy – of the 14 shots he’s taken this season, only one has missed the goal.

No. 9 Duke (4-3) at No. 8 Loyola (4-1)

When : 11 a.m. Saturday on CBS Sports Network

: 11 a.m. Saturday on CBS Sports Network Last Meeting: March 7, 2015; Duke won 14-8

March 7, 2015; Duke won 14-8 MLL Draft Picks: Duke - Myles Jones (first overall, Atlanta Blaze), Deemer Class (10th overall, Atlanta Blaze) , Case Matheis (53rd overall, Atlanta Blaze); Loyola - Tyler Albrecht (15th overall – Atlanta Blaze), David Manning (43rd overall, New York Lizards), Zach Herreweyers (47th overall, Chesapeake Bayhawks)



This Saturday’s trip to Loyola marks Duke’s fifth game in 15 days, and frankly, the Blue Devils could probably use a break. First came last weekend’s 14-9 loss to Harvard, in which they were held to single digits for first time in 15 games, then Monday’s 12-10 loss to Richmond, their first home loss to an unranked opponent since February 21, 2009. Now, before they begin to prepare for the two games they’ll play in the next ten days, they take on a Loyola team allowing only 7.8 goals per game.



While he led the resistance with a four-point effort against Richmond, Myles Jones has produced two extremely rare one-point performances thus far this season. Last weekend against Harvard, Jones was held to just one assist (only his third goal-free game in his last 30 outings), and his one-goal game against Lehigh earlier this season marked the first time in 21 games in which he didn’t hand out an assist. Fortunately for Duke fans, Jones scored four goals and an assist last year against Loyola; perhaps an encore of that magnitude is in order this weekend.



After missing three games due to injury, Duke face-off specialist Kyle Rowe enjoyed a successful return earlier this week, winning 18 of 24 face-offs and picking up 12 groundballs against Richmond. If the Blue Devils are to halt their losing streak at two games, they’re going to need to value possession – not only do the Greyhounds average only 10.6 turnovers per game, they’re 37-40 in clearing attempts over in their past three games. Although Duke has held opponents to 78% clearing success this season, they certainly can’t count on Loyola to providing any extra possessions.

No. 19 Ohio State (5-1) at No. 13 Hofstra (3-1)

When : Noon Saturday on Lax Sports Network

: Noon Saturday on Lax Sports Network Last Meeting : March 7, 2015; Ohio State won 9-8

: March 7, 2015; Ohio State won 9-8 MLL Draft Picks: Hofstra - Sam Llinares (31st overall, Denver Outlaws); Ohio State - Robby Haus (29th overall, Florida Launch), Carter Brown (56th overall, Chesapeake Bayhawks)

After defeating both Bellarmine and 17th-ranked Marquette last weekend, Ohio State has triumphantly fought its way back onto the Cascade/Maverik Media Poll. Meanwhile, Hofstra suffered its first loss of the season, falling 11-6 to unranked, winless Georgetown, and while it’s far too early to say these teams are passing in opposite directions, it’s at least fair to say they’re facing one another.

Chances are we’re in for a low-scoring affair this weekend, not only because these teams both feature especially strong defensive units (Hofstra allows 7.5 points per game; Ohio State is not far behind with 8.0), but because neither has reached double digits in their two most recent meetings. Furthermore, and by no means pertinent, the Buckeyes have never reached double digits against the Pride — their only other matchups took place in 1987 and 1955, and Ohio State lost 15-4 and 20-1, respectively.

The man in charge of preserving Ohio State’s unfortunate tradition will be Hofstra goalie Jack Concannon, who is enjoying a 7.73 GAA and .63 save percentage this season. Ohio State’s Tom Carey isn’t far off with a 7.93 GAA and .53 save percentage, and his performances against Bellarmine and Marquette (25 saves, 6.13 GAA) earned him Big 10 specialist of the week honors.

Colgate (3-2), (1-1 Patriot) at BU (5-1), (1-0 Patriot)

When : 1 p.m. Saturday on Patriot League Network

: 1 p.m. Saturday on Patriot League Network Last Meeting: March 7, 2015; Boston University won 18-11.

March 7, 2015; Boston University won 18-11. MLL Draft Picks: Colgate - Cameron Williams (44th overall, Ohio Machine)

Boston University is off to its best start in program history, and its next win will already tie its total from the previous season. After already beating Navy this year, the Terriers now look to take down the Colgate Raiders, the 2015 Patriot league tournament champs. Colgate may have brought home the trophy last season, but Boston University, just 3-5 in conference play, still managed to hand the Raiders one of their two conference losses, the Terriers' first win over a ranked opponent.

At risk of oversimplifying the issue, the Raiders’ main hindrance this season is that they’re simply not putting the ball in the goal. Colgate is shooting just 24%, just a hair outside the nation’s top 50, and a serious drop from last season’s 35%. After shooting 28-50 (56%) on extra-man opportunities last season Colgate is only 2-15 (13%) this year. Freshman Sam Cleveland, who has taken the most shots on the team by far, has converted seven of his 40 shots, while top returning scorer Anthony Abbadessa, the team’s second-most frequent shooter, is 7-26.

In addition to their accuracy woes, the Raiders have been winning 46% of their face-offs, which does not bode well for a meeting against Boston University. Sam Talkow is currently 65-98 (66%; he also leads the team in penalty minutes, a combination you don’t often see), and won a career-high 26 of 33 face-offs last year against Colgate, tossing in a goal for good measure as well.





Next Page: The Main Event — ND vs. Denver

No. 2 Denver (5-0) at No. 1 Notre Dame (4-0)

When : 5:30 p.m. Sunday on ESPNU

: 5:30 p.m. Sunday on ESPNU Last Meeting: May 23, 2015; Denver won 11-10 OT

May 23, 2015; Denver won 11-10 OT MLL Draft Picks: Denver - Colin Woolford (20th overall, Charlotte Hounds); Notre Dame - Matt Landis (third overall, Florida Launch), Matt Kavanagh (fifth overall, Denver Outlaws)

It’s happening. It’s really happening. You know, things were a little touch and go for a while there (you know, with that overtime situation in Chapel Hill and everything), but the stars aligned, and here we are: undefeated USILA poll No.1 vs. undefeated Cascade/Maverik Media Poll No. 1. Denver vs. Notre Dame: it’s time to unify the belts.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have recently returned home from a trip to Southern California, where they taught a youth clinic, worked out on Manhattan Beach, toured a Marine Base and beat No. 8 Maryland 9-4. Led by ACC defensive player of the week Matt Landis, the Notre Dame defense is allowing an average of only 5.5 goals per game this season and hasn’t allowed more than 10 goals in their past eight games (Conversely, the Denver Pioneers have scored 10 or more in 26 consecutive games, but we’ll get back to them later). Goalie Shane Doss is currently second in the nation with a .66 save percentage, and the faceoff game, which head coach Kevin Corrigan considered a preseason point of emphasis, has significantly improved, with junior P.J. Finley winning 43-69 (62%) this season. Finley, who went 2-8 in last year’s NCAA Semifinal game against Denver, will once again square off against Trevor Baptiste, who, after a 21-28 performance last weekend, currently sits at 71% on the season. Although those few matchups last year may not have gone Finley’s way, don’t expect Notre Dame to tamper with what’s been working for him as of late. “When we prepare our team for the season, we try to prepare ourselves for the absolute best that we’re going to see from anybody at any time,” said Corrigan. “You don’t prepare for anything less than that. So, we’re not going to have to add anything or do anything different this week, but we’re going to have to execute at a high level, because clearly (Baptiste)’s the best guy in the game right now.”

Should Baptiste win the draw back to Denver’s defensive end, the Pioneers will still have their work cut out for them, as Notre Dame’s opponents are successfully clearing the ball only 74% of the time this season. Denver enters this weekend’s game with a 79% rate of clearing success, a situation that head coach Bill Tierney (who has heard clearing-related questions more than once this week) explains rather succinctly. “It’s just a matter of 18-22 year olds throwing passes they’ve thrown every day since they were 6 years old, and catching passes that they’ve caught every day since they were five or six years old,” he said. “We didn’t do that well last week. Watching film, we had guys wide open, and I think the schemes were good, we just didn’t execute.”

Last weekend’s clearing errors aside, the Pioneers rallied from a second-half deficit and escaped Chapel Hill with a 13-12 overtime victory, their seventh win in eight overtime games. Tierney was generally pleased with his team’s performance, aside from one particular issue. “We knew it was going to be a tough game, and it was,” he said. “It was a good, competitive game, and we felt fortunate to come out on top in light of giving up four goals in the last five minutes, which is starting to become a trend for us that I don’t like.”

Any Denver concern of late-game offensive onslaught immediately recalls memories of Notre Dame midfielder Sergio Perkovic, who scored five fourth-quarter goals against the Pioneers in the 2015 NCAA Semifinals. Perkovic seemingly had an answer any time Denver attempted to build a comfortable lead, but he didn’t have much help, as attackmen Mikey Wynne and Matt Kavanagh were held to just three shots and one assist each. Aside from a six-point outburst in their 2015 regular season meeting, Kavanagh has been largely neutralized during his meetings with the Pioneers, failing to register a point in their 2014 matchup, scoring a goal and an assist in Notre Dame’s 2013 victory. Especially with the extra attention Perkovic is bound to draw, Notre Dame’s offense may go as far as the senior Kavanagh can lead it.

“I think our guys just have such a confidence in Kav[anagh], it kind of permeates everything we do,” said Corrigan. “Everything from riding to groundballs. He can play inside, he can play up top, he can play behind, he’s just integral to everything that we’re trying to do. It’s nice when we have him out there, let’s put it that way.”

When the Denver Pioneers take the field this Sunday, 365 days will have passed since their last defeat, and with the possible exception of Nate Diaz, no one in recent history has devastated Fighting Irish fans more. While Notre Dame is 16-3 dating back to the beginning of last season, two of those losses arrived courtesy of the Pioneers, and both of the games were decided in overtime (speaking of which, you’re going to want to set the extended recording option on your DVR; only one of their past five matchups has finished in regulation).

Averaging a total 23.2 points per game, the Pioneers boast a balanced offense that simply refuses to fire under less-than-optimal conditions, and as a result, is scoring on 40% of its shots. The Denver roster features nine players with three goals or more, and of those nine, the least accurate is still shooting 33%.

With 2015 overtime hero Wes Berg having graduated, the remaining offensive contributors have made the most of their additional opportunity and responsibility. Sophomore Brendan Bomberry, for one, has scored seven extra-man goals this season, whereas last year he scored four goals (in eight games) of any sort. Junior midfielder Tyler Pace (averaging 4.8 points per game, up from 2.6 last season) is another key example.

“It’s just confidence,” said Tierney. “(Pace)’s more confident, he knows his role has changed… I think he’s motivated as a junior captain. There’s expectations there, and I think he’s risen up to them, both in his play and his leadership roles.” Pace contributed five points last weekend at North Carolina, scoring or assisting on four of the Pioneers’ first five goals. Also tallying five points against the Tar Heels was senior attackman Jack Bobzien, who is now just three points away from becoming Denver’s fourth active player with 100 points.

A testament to their offensive depth, the Pioneers have been able to employ a productive third midfield line of Max Planning (who played on the second midfield in last year’s NCAA championship), Joe Reid (who, according to Tierney, “can shoot the ball a million miles an hour,”) and senior Bryce Parietti. “My feeling always has been as a coach, and I tell my kids this often, if you prove Monday through Friday that you can play, you will play, and that’s what those three guys have done,” said Tierney. “The three of them have become a unit on and off the field, and not only accept their role, but they’ve got a little chip on their shoulder about their role, because they don’t get to play as much as the first and second midfield, and they’ve been very, very effective for us.” Making the most of their less frequent runs, the trio has combined for five goals (in 10 shots) and three assists.

Don’t be surprised if it takes a while to get there (Notre Dame has held its opponents to just three first-quarter goals in four games, while Denver has allowed eight in five games), but, at some point on Sunday evening (who knows how many quarters this is going to take), we’ll have our undisputed, top-ranked team.

It’s Thor’s hammer vs Captain America’s shield, the game’s most uniquely dynamic offense against its most suffocating defense. It’s a spirited rivalry that brings out the best in its players, and one that requires absolutely no prodding from anyone else.

“There’s no rah rah speeches, I can promise you that,” said Tierney. “We know who we’re playing, respect who we’re playing, we know what a great rivalry this is, we know how important this game is. This isn’t a game where I have to say to my team ‘Come on, fellas, let’s practice harder.’ It’s why the kids go to Denver, it’s why kids go to Notre Dame, to play in big games like this.”