SALT LAKE CITY – Year two in the Beehive State brings the potential for seeing the same type of change we saw last year when two first-time champions were crowned in Michigan State and North Dakota State.

While the defending champions are still in the field and must be respected, the Spartans (No. 11) and Bison (No. 8) are carrying burdensome seeds into the first round.

MONDAY'S FIRST ROUND GAMES

As such, it’s not outrageous to presume that we’re going to have new champions in both divisions once again.

Who could it be?

In Division I, Cal owns the top seed and the bullseye, but the two hottest teams entering the tourney are Chapman and South Carolina. And the team that has everyone a little uneasy is undefeated New Hampshire.

What's the most intriguing rematch from the regular season in the first round of Division I? #mcla19 #SaltLaxCity
— MCLA Tournament '19 (@MCLA_Tournament) May 3, 2019

While they are playing out of the unfavorable back-half of the bracket, Arizona State, Liberty and Colorado are all teams that could make a big run.

Minn.-Duluth appears to be the run-away favorite in Division II, and for good reason. The Bulldogs have answered every bell.

Perhaps UMD’s Achille’s heel is the familiarity that all of their toughest opponents have with them.

In addition, St. Thomas can never be counted out until the final whistle and Grand Valley State has a similar look to 2014. Dayton has also rounded back into its standard postseason look.

The smart money is on one of the UMLC emerging on Saturday with the trophy, but there are intriguing teams like the College of Idaho, Kennesaw State and North Florida who have the potential for a breakthrough.

The quest begins for real on Monday, and it could get wild.

Quick Matchup Thoughts

Division I

No. 16 LSU vs. No. 1 California
LSU’s run to nationals should be celebrated, as it shows the power of perseverance and the feasibility of a late-season run. Good on the Tigers. And despite overwhelming odds, LSU will be in Salt Lake City and they will take the confidence gained from a strong conference-tournament run. They won’t be afraid. Unfortunately, they are going against Cal team with very few holes in its lineup.

No. 15 Minnesota vs. No. 2 Chapman
The seeds say this should be walk in the park for the Panthers, but I bet you that Dallas Hartley and his crew won’t treat it as such. The Golden Gophers are fully healthy and only lost, 15-12, in Orange County in mid-March. Minnesota’s problem is Parker Halaburda. The Gophers had no solution for the Chapman FOGO, who roasted them for 15-of-17 draws. If Minny can dirty up the draw game, funny things could happen.

No. 14 Santa Clara vs. No. 3 South Carolina
The Gamecocks once again bring a confident bunch to Salt Lake City, but unlike last year, they have the momentum of a conference title. Santa Clara is a tournament debutante, which already puts them at a disadvantage, but they do have attackman Keaton Collier and goalie Matt Lencioni, who can both change games. South Carolina wants a track meet and the Broncos need a grinder. Whoever’s style wins, wins.

What D-I underdog has the best chance of springing a first round upset? #mcla19 #SaltLaxCity
— MCLA Tournament '19 (@MCLA_Tournament) May 2, 2019

No. 13 Connecticut vs. No. 4 Georgia Tech
For being a four seed, this is a miserable matchup for the Yellow Jackets. The Huskies had barely started their season when these two first met on March 10, and they still only lost, 12-11. UConn is balanced and have a tournament-quality goalie in Drew Duarte. I wouldn’t say that Georgia Tech has necessarily regressed since the first meeting, but a little stagnation might have crept in. Keep your eye on this one.

No. 12 Florida State vs. No. 5 Arizona State
Casey Connor has been a marvel this year for the Sun Devils and has seemingly single-handedly made ASU a semifinal-type outfit. Other than getting out-maneuvered in the second half of the SLC finals, he has pushed all the right buttons. Florida State counters with Reid Smith and a ton of confidence right now, but they might not be ready for what ASU can bring.

No. 11 Michigan State vs. No. 6 Liberty
The first meeting in March was a dud, as the Flames routed the Spartans, 18-7. Fourteen of the 18 goals came out of the midfield for Liberty, which is problematic when you consider Michigan State has two All-American d-mids. The Spartans had the best defense in the country last year and they’ll have to prove it again if they want to continue to defend their title.

No. 10 Concordia-Irvine vs. No. 7 Colorado
The fourth of the regular season rematches, the Eagles will attempt to run with the Buffaloes that downed them, 17-10, in Boulder on March 24. It was a weird game, with Concordia racing out to a 5-1 lead after the first frame only to get outscored 16-5 the rest of the way. Colorado had a huge advantage at faceoffs thanks to Broderick Vitalie and CUI goalie Tyler Schweickert had to make 30 saves. It’s not going to be easy for the Eagles to rewrite this script.

No. 9 Cal Poly vs. No. 8 New Hampshire
Time will tell, but New Hampshire could be one of the most dangerous eight seeds to come along in quite a while. Undefeated and boasting 17 seniors, the Wildcats have all the tools. The Mustangs were dumped by Santa Clara, which – honestly – probably just cost them what color jerseys they were going to wear. Poly is going to need Ryan Brown to dominate the dot and have A.J. Guralas and Doug Gosselin play at an All-American level.

What D-II underdog has the best chance of pulling off a first-round upset? #mcla19 #SaltLaxCity
— MCLA Tournament '19 (@MCLA_Tournament) May 2, 2019

Division II
No. 16 Bridgewater State vs. No. 1 Minn.-Duluth
It’s tough envisioning a team that lost to Stonehill in the CLC semifinals taking down the team that has gone wire-to-wire as the squad in the country (no disrespect to the Skyhawks!). Stopping Scott McNamara is going to be a problem for the Bears, but solving the Bulldogs defense will be equally challenging.

No. 15 UC San Diego vs. No. 2 St. Thomas
UCSD coach Albert Man has some very smart, analytical kids on his team. They thrive off of well-defined roles and sets, and it has turned out very well for them as their first tournament berth attests. Unfortunately, it’s not a great recipe to beat the Tommies. This year’s version of UST isn’t as daunting as years past, but it might not make a difference.

No. 14 Missouri State vs. No. 3 Grand Valley State
The Bears deservedly got out of the No. 15 seed – and out from underneath St. Thomas’ thumb – by putting together a challenging schedule. Alas, they’ve traded in the Tommies for a Grand Valley State team that is just as talented and ruthless. As with most of these early Monday matchups, it boils down to depth, and that will be the case here, as well.

No. 13 Montana vs. No. 4 Dayton
Like the three above, this looks like another UMLC mismatch with Dayton holding what appears to be a clear edge over the Grizzlies. I don’t think anyone is doubting that the Flyers are the favorite and in a much better spot than last year when they got mugged by Montana State in the first round. Still, Dayton has lost three of its last four, so they aren’t really riding a wave. As with most Montana games this year, Andrew Moesel needs to stand on his head.

No. 12 Utah State vs. No. 5 North Florida
The rise of North Florida has been one of the great subplots this season. It was just a couple of years ago that the Ospreys had their nose pressed to the window of the MCLA trying to get in. Now they have a dangerous seed. Utah State, however, has the talent to stop UNF in its tracks. Good goalie, quality attackman and a mild homefield advantage with the altitude. The Aggies will have to be perfect to trip UNF.

What Top 4 UMLC power is least likely to make it to the semifinals? #mcla19 #SaltLaxCity
— MCLA Tournament '19 (@MCLA_Tournament) May 3, 2019

No. 11 Northern Arizona vs. No. 6 College of Idaho
This is COI’s year to make a statement. They’re undefeated, dripping with talent and supremely confident. Even with a No. 6 seed, anything short of a semifinal berth feels weird. They can make a big statement against the Lumberjacks. NAU is no pushover and, frankly, they are on par with the Yotes best non-conference win of the season (UC Santa Cruz).

No. 10 St. John’s vs. No. 7 Kennesaw State
Dayton was the lowest UMLC seed last year and got swept out of the tourney in the first round. St. John’s will look to avoid that fate against a powerful Kennesaw State that has studs at every level of the field. This one boils down to whether Johnnies goalie Ryan Nelson is on and they are generating out of the midfield. Otherwise, advantage Owls.

No. 9 UC Davis vs. No. 8 North Dakota State
Could this be the game of the day in either division? It certainly has the potential. Granted, the Aggies aren’t accustomed to the UMLC grind that the Bison parlayed into a national title last year. They do have assets that make them dangerous. Davis will have to muddy it up a little bit, but the potential is there. NDSU does appear to have escaped its mid-season doldrums, which doesn’t bode well for any opponent.

Note on Streaming
This year the games will be streamed on our YouTube page as well as on this site with Livestream. Because the YouTube streams can be shut down without notice if a copyrighted song is detected (even in the background), the Livestream on our site provides a second option that won’t shut down. So if you’re on YouTube and a feed goes down, move over to the MCLA.us to find your functioning game.