MCLA Scoreboard: Upset mania across country
Friday was an unexpectedly exciting day in MCLA action. While most people had the Thursday-Saturday top-10 D1 matchups circled on their calendars, it was in the SELC and CCLA that we got some of the top storylines of the week. Please keep in mind that writing these blurbs on the day of means very little individual stats with no box scores posted yet.
Division 1
UNLV 8, BYU 6
Wow. You really never can count the Rebels out of a game — a week ago, they were tied with #13 Utah at halftime. Now, they’ve taken down the number 4 team in the country. The massive upset means that 11 of the MCLA’s top 25 teams have lost at least a game.
The Cougars have a quick chance to bounce back on Saturday, as they’ll be tasked with taking on top-ranked Cal Poly and the Mustangs’ vaunted defensive unit. For UNLV, there’s now hope to contend in the SLC in a season that has seen the conference riddled with question marks.
South Carolina 10, Virginia Tech 8
Big-time upset here, folks. The 16th-ranked Hokies were taken down in South Carolina. Give props to the Gamecocks, who have oh-so-quietly started out the season 3–0 with a relatively easy schedule ahead before they face #9 Boston College on April 1.
For Virginia Tech, the team is still in solid position to make the conference tournament…but Friday’s result dealt a huge blow to at-large hopes. The days of its impenetrable defense appear to have peaked in 2015, when the team only allowed one 10-goal scorer (which came in MCLA semifinal OT loss to Colorado). Now, the team is mired in a 7-game stretch, dating back to last season, in which opponents have gotten into the double digits four times.
Michigan State 10, Minnesota 9
In its CCLA debut, the Golden Gophers delivered a thrilling finish to fans in Livonia, Michigan. But it was the Spartans who walked off the field with a win, having protected their slim lead by just a hair. Minnesota trailed by six at one point before a resurgent comeback, led by Bodhi Engum’s five-goal performance in the game.
When it came down to the wire, though, MSU goalie Kevin Boland had the final say. The junior stopped two point-blank transition looks for Minnesota in the waning moments of the game, stifling the Gophers and locking up the win for the Spartans. So now that we’ve seen Michigan State in action…the road to the CCLA crown still runs through East Lansing.
Other notable scores:
#25 Sonoma State 14, Nevada 9— SSU with a good showing against a fellow WCLL team, and with OSU’s (their only loss) success through the early part of the season it could mean this team is due for a rise in the ranks.
Clemson 10, NC State 9 — A narrow one-goal finish that will have big implications on the SELC’s Northeast region. Big statement for Clemson to take down the Wolfpack.
Southern Methodist 13, Missouri 6 — Mustangs rebound from 5-goal loss to Texas that sent them out of the rankings, take down MCLA’s current point-scoring champ, Noah Iverson, and the Tigers.
Florida 14, Texas A&M 8— Gators have sneakily gotten to a 5–0 mark, their best start in over 10 years.
Division 2
Bridgewater State 5, Dayton 4
It’s a huge win for #16 BSU, who has had trouble bolstering a tournament resume. Which hurts in May, as the team frequently represents the PCLL at nationals but can’t seem to get out of first-round matchups with 1- and 2-seeds.
The defense had a stellar outing in this one, holding the Flyers to only 2 goals in each half. Following a scoreless third quarter for both teams, BSU locked down one of the country’s top teams and proved its worth. Next, BSU gets Grove City in an afternoon game on Saturday.
Montana State 19, Utah State 14
It’s a fun rivalry, even if Utah State is now D1 in the RMLC. These two teams used to battle for the D2 crown in the conference, with USU taking the bid in 2015 after MSU had won it the year prior. Per the Montana State Twitter, Louis Richman had 5 goals and 8 assists in the contest.
The Bobcats currently sit at #11 in the country, and while results against D1 teams won’t factor into ranks, it certainly doesn’t help that they took care of business in this one.
Other notable scores:
Grove City 19, Southern Conn. State 11 — Solid debut for the Wolverines (top 5 MCLA mascot, by the way) who have a crucial matchup on Saturday that pits their 19-goal offense against a stellar defensive unit for Bridgewater State.
