by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us

LA CROSSE, Wis. – At the tail end of Chapman’s 21-6 victory over Cal Poly on Saturday afternoon, the play-by-play man calling the stream in SLO had a comment that resonated.

I’m paraphrasing, but it was something like, “When everything closed down in 2020, Cal Poly had a loaded team. Two years later, it’s probably not fair to think the Mustangs would have the same team.”

He’s absolutely right.

RESULTS: FRIDAY | SATURDAY | SUNDAY

A lot of us – certainly me included – are still looking at this season through the prism of early March, 2020.

It’s a natural thing to do. Just pick up where we left off. Roll the ball out. Start it back up.

Some have found it earlier than others, but normalcy is what humans crave. When we rebooted the MCLA this spring, the tendency was to assume everything would revert to the norm.

As we’re seeing vividly, this is not the MCLA of two years ago.

Or even five years ago.

Cal Poly is finding its footing along with Georgia Tech, New Hampshire, Colorado, Chapman and California – programs that comprised seven of the eight top teams in the country in ’20.

Not to say those teams aren’t still powers, but they have seen an uncommon dose of adversity this spring while a new group of contenders have entered the mix.

Florida, Concordia-Irvine, Clemson, Santa Clara, Georgia and Colorado State are all emerging as Round Rock potentials. Heck, Arizona State and Arizona didn’t receive a single vote in the last poll of ’20, and are now serious threats.

And we’ve seen the continued rise of USC and Utah Valley.

Those with any knowledge of MCLA history remember that the Trojans were seemingly undone by an annual music festival. Now, under the tutelage of Jake Van Nostrand, USC has moved past even the “sleeper” label.

They are legit.

In Division II, Utah State just stuffed the UMLC in a locker.

On their own fields.

That has never happened before. Really, no one would even dreamed that could happen.

Rhode Island is a burgeoning power. Florida Atlantic is a team you don’t want to see on your side of the bracket. Missouri State is no longer a Lone Star Alliance speed bump.

It’s wonderful from a competition standpoint.

It’s terrible that it has had to happen this way, but the MCLA has kind of reset itself.

The slate has been wiped clean and we’re working with nearly a blank canvas.

Sure, there are traditional favorites, but the second and third tier teams have returned ready to make their mark.

The finish to this season is going to be incredible. Perhaps the best ever.

As it should be.

The players and coaches haven’t certainly earned it.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by CCU Men's Club Lacrosse (@ccumlax)

MY TOP FIVES

Division I

1. Florida (8-0) – Gators at Liberty on Monday, live on ESPN+. Monster contest.
2. Concordia-Irvine (4-0) – Sun Devils and Lopes in town for some SLC action this week.
3. Santa Clara (5-0) – Utah Valley and BYU will give further clues about the Broncos.
4. Arizona State (4-0) – Great win over Clemson, but the Hokies loom large on Monday.
5. Brigham Young (2-0) – The Cali trip is mildly diminished, but still valuable.

Division II

1. Rhode Island (5-0) – Bridgewater at the end of the month could be epic.
2. Florida Gulf Coast (4-1) – Two weeks until the clash with Kennesaw.
3. College of Idaho (4-0) – Next week’s trip to Big Sky country will clear up some things.
4. Kennesaw State (4-0) – Chugging along.
5. Dayton (4-1) – We’ll give the Flyers a spot for now.

SLIDES & RIDES

- There are several teams I’m curious about here in our first week of March, but atop the list is Minnesota. The Gophers have managed to breeze past the UMLC D-IIs and a smattering of Upper Midwest squads, but I’m already primed to see their trip to the desert to face Arizona, San Diego State and Arizona State. I want to be a believer, but I need to see them outside of the MSP Metroplex.

- James Madison posted a pair of 12-11 wins over both Pittsburgh and West Virginia on the road. That’s pretty good. First-year programs in MCLA Division I don’t always fare that well. There’s typically a pretty significant learning curve. Not to say the Dukes won’t learn some lessons the rest of the way, but they’ve shown they are ready. It’s an important signal to other former NCLL teams looking to make the leap.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UConn Men's Lacrosse (@ucmenslax)

- Hoping for a sleepy MCLA Monday? You picked the wrong week.

No. 13 Virginia Tech at No. 21 Arizona State, 4 p.m. MST
No. 8 Florida at No. 5 Liberty, 7 p.m. EST
No. 7 Boston College at No. 11 Cal Poly, 4 p.m. PST

Monday is the new Friday.

NOTES: Have I mentioned how epic the PNCLL-I tournament is going to be. I feel like I have…I’m intrigued by NC State. Close losses don’t mean much, but this seems like a dangerous team…with the win over Elon, Coastal Carolina is on the precipice of qualifying for the ALC tourney. Still two tough conference games to go.

- As always, get those Pearl Goalie of the Week and Warrior Player of the Week nominations to [email protected] as soon as possible on Monday.