Reverb: Division I Chalktown

by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us

ROUND ROCK, Texas – The Division I bracket at the 2025 MCLA National Championships went straight chalk in the first round, producing a perfect quarterfinal Tuesday. The biggest threat to the chalk was Tennessee, which ultimately fell to No. 3 Georgia Tech in triple overtime.

The Division II bracket featured only one chalk line as No. 5 Cal State San Marcos will battle No. 4 St. Thomas. No. 9 UNC-Charlotte, No. 10 North Dakota State and No. 11 Air Force all won as away seeds.

On to the games…

No. 8 Arizona State v. No. 1 Liberty, 4:30 p.m. (LIB -3.5 | 25)
After a quarter against Minnesota, things looked dicey for the Flames, but the top-ranked team settled in over the next 45 minutes and produced a result that the seeding dictated. Likewise, the Sun Devils were up against a wall against Florida State, trailing 12-10 in the third, but a strong finishing kick in a monsoon got it done. One would assume we’ll get a First Team All-American confrontation between ASU defender Aidan Cox and Flames attackman Keaton Mohs, which will be worth the watch on its own. And don’t forget Conor Guiltanan against Braden Rome on the other end. If the Devils can thwart a big, early deficit, this could go down to the wire.

No. 9 UNC-Charlotte v. No. 1 Florida Atlantic, 4:30 p.m. (UNCC -1.5 | 29)
The Owls knew coming into the UC Davis game that Marcello Battista was the Aggies’ dangerman, and the junior still connected for five goals. FAU now goes up against the most stacked attack unit in D-II. That’s a little unsettling. Fortunately, the Owls are far more familiar with what Charlotte brings to the table that they likely did with Davis. Alexander Acker is a rookie in cage but plays like a grizzled vet, and he’ll have to be sharp if FAU wants to keep the train moving. The Owls should be motivated by a midseason loss to the Niners.

No. 7 Northeastern v. No. 2 Utah Valley, 4:45 p.m. (UVU -2.5 | 21)
Premium goaltenders are invaluable at this time of the year and we’ll get to see two on display in Northeastern’s Sam Bellomy and UVU’s Max Sturgill. Both will be staring down loaded offensive units that can ring up 15 pretty quickly. Statistically, the Wolverines have an advantage at the dot in Jacob Lundin, but the Huskies can muddy up that area in hopes of keeping possession time equal. This could come down to which stud – Northeastern’s Wynton Bastian or Utah Valley’s Blake Yates – says, ‘Hop on my back, boys, we’re winning this thing.’

No. 10 North Dakota State v. No. 2 Grand Valley State, 4:45 p.m. (GVS -4 | 20)
Like a family reunion featuring your most annoying cousins, the Bison and Lakers meet for the third time this season. GVSU won the first two – 14-6 in Fargo and 12-10 in White Bear Lake – and will lean on its defense to complete the trifecta. NDSU will hope to mirror their performance against Montana State and play mistake-free lacrosse and let the noose slowly tightens as the game remains close late. It’s a good plan, but the Lakers can blow your doors off in a half and coast home as they’ve done numerous times this year. And if there is an added bonus for the winner, they won’t have to face their most despised cousins in the semifinals.

No. 6 Texas v. No. 3 Georgia Tech, 7:15 p.m. (UT -2 | 26)
Styles make matchups. It’s why I thought Colorado would beat Texas, but the Longhorns showed poise and grit in rallying past the Buffs in the dead of night. Now the ‘Horns get the benefit of a stylistic advantage. They know they can beat the Wreck, having buried them in Berkeley last season with many of the same weapons. Positionally, across the board, Texas has an advantage or it’s a push. With that said, Tech seemingly performs better when they are playing the underdog, because they barely squeaked past Tennessee as a prohibitive favorite. The Jackets can win, of course, but every turnover will chip away at the possibility.

No. 11 Air Force v. No. 3 Northwest Nazarene, 7:15 p.m. (NNU -1.5 | 25)
The Nighthawks got a bit unlucky with this matchup. They would have been better served to get a rematch with UCSD and the motivation that comes with it. Now they get a disrespected Falcons outfit that is looking more and more preposterous as an eleven seed. Keaton Bean, Rayce Neill and Loy Howard will always keep Naz dangerous, but they will have to figure out a way to contain Mark Tang, who can drop an eight-spot on anyone. Goalies are the wild card from my perspective and likely the difference-makers.

No. 5 Brigham Young v. No. 4 Florida, 7:30 p.m. (BYU -2.5 | 26)
At one point this season, I thought this might be the national championship game. The Cougars were cruising along on their back-to-back path and Florida was looking like a wagon destined for an SELC title. But here we are – a couple of very good teams looking for a coveted chance to play on Thursday against (potentially) the top seed. BYU looked spooky against Cal Poly while the Gators had to put in some work to finally subdue San Diego State. It’s no secret that Florida works through the midfield, so BYU will be ready for that. Whether the Gators defense can stand firm for 60 minutes against the Cougs is the question.

No. 5 Cal State San Marcos v. No. 4 St. Thomas (UST -4.5 | 19)
I feel like I’ve seen this movie before. St. Thomas plays a good team in the quarterfinals, runs out to a three-goal lead in the first half and then posts a nondescript, 12-7 win to once again advance to the semifinals. The thing is I really like the San Marcos team. They play with a poise that hasn’t always been there, even if previous teams were more talented. Despite falling behind early to Montana, the Cougars went about their business before pulling away. Every year is its own journey and every team must be judged on its present edition, but betting on the Tommies to get to the semifinals is the safest MCLA wager around.

Slides & Rides

- As many of you know, we had some server issues with our new app yesterday. Apologies all around. Our streaming guys feel like they’ve pinpointed the issues and have rectified it, so you will have no trouble with it today and going forward.

- We pushed the games back an hour as the weather is still a little volatile in the Round Rock area. Check the tournament page for the updated times.

- There was plenty of chatter about San Diego State and Tennessee being awarded at-large bids, but sometimes the proof is in the pudding. Both the Aztecs and Vols acquitted themselves quite well against a pair of Top 5 seeds. Not to say that the others teams who fell off the bubble wouldn’t have done as well, but these two teams answered some questions.