Rearview: Monday Session Three

 (Photo by Lance Wendt)

by E.J. Freeman | MCLA.us  

RICHMOND- In Division II the top seeds have continued to roll.  The Division I top seeds seem to have been hammering the snooze button today, but all woke up eventually.

#3 Virginia Tech over #14 Texas 13-8-  The Longhorns took the lead early and Virginia Tech started this game much like they did the ALC semifinal.  Luke Sganga was hot again for the Longhorns early.  By halftime the Hokies seemed to remember where they were and came out on fire.  The Hokies outscored the Longhorns 7-0 in the third quarter and cruised the rest of the way to win 13-8.  The Hokies would be wise to stop playing with fire with these slow starts. 

#3 Grand Valley State over #14 UC Davis 10-2 – The Lakers started surprisingly slow considering the way they have been playing of late.  The game was tied 1-1 after the first quarter.  The Lakers stretched the lead to 10-2 in the third quarter before easing their foot off the gas.  I always worry about the start of the next game after cruising in the second half, we will see how the Lakers start tomorrow.

#4 Air Force over #13 Coastal Carolina 21-14-  After a tight first quarter that ended 5-4 in favor of the Falcons, Air Force ended up winning by a touchdown.  Rylan Hackett won 64% of the faceoffs to give the Chanticleers an edge there, but not the 90% clip that has become standard for him.  The Falcon offense put on a show when they had the ball a la the famous Thunderbirds.  Paul Baldwin, Mark Tang, and Chalmers Peters combined for 23 points.   Even in this shootout, there were only three goals scored in the third quarter.  The Chanticleers scored 14 goals, which is likely where the Falcons will be focusing as they get ready for tomorrow.

#4 Florida State over #13 Northeastern 10-9-  The Huskies played solid fundamental defense and avoided the mistakes Florida State often forces their opponents into.  This is the lowest goal output the Seminoles have had all season while still winning the faceoff battle.  This game was back and forth the whole way and was hotly contested.  Northeastern found spots to attack the Florida State defense and looked athletic.  You can bet whoever the Noles face tomorrow will be paying attention to the Huskies’ defensive gameplan.  Florida State showed an impressive response to the adversity that I would bet they did not expect to face today and found a way to win.  In the end, that is all that matters.