(Photo by Anna Scipione)

by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us

LA CROSSE, Wis. – One week in and we’ve already got two upsets on the board? Giddy up.

Yes, I know the preseason rankings are a bit of a crap shoot considering the variables from year-to-year, including two extra seasons of eligibility hanging out there for some programs. But chaos is always good.

Despite the seven-scale difference between No. 5 Georgia and No. 12 South Carolina, everyone knew this was going to be close. The 9-8 final in the Gamecocks is mildly surprising, but certainly not shocking.

I would argue that No. 16 San Diego State’s convincing, 11-6 victory over No. 13 UC Santa Barbara was more startling if you look through the prism of last season. That’s a dangerous approach to take considering the aforementioned volatility from season-to-season.

How teams mature during the course of the season is also another factor, as both champions last year can attest.

Also interesting was No. 4 Georgia Tech pushing past unranked Clemson by four goals and No. 8 Florida needing an explosive four-quarter to subdue a frisky West Virginia outfit that trailed by just a goal heading into the final stanza. TCU gave No. 15 Texas all they could handle on Sunday.

Is this a harbinger of a wacky season full of upsets? Potentially. Or it could just be the polls correcting themselves in real time.

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MY TOP FIVES
This is one of my favorite editions of the My Fives as I require an actual game to be played to make the lists. Sure, the preseason rankings influence my rankings, but you've got to have at least a game on the board for consideration.

Division I
1. South Carolina (1-0) – Impressive first win for Dakota Kirsch-Downs. Congrats.
2. San Diego State (1-0) – This win is better than last year’s ASU beatdown.
3. Virginia Tech (1-0) – Business trip to Greenville for the Hokies. Mission accomplished.
4. Georgia Tech (1-0) – The 15-11 win over Clemson seems about right.
5. Florida (1-0) – Took West Virginia’s best shot and then grabbed the dub.

Division II
1. Wake Forest (4-0) – A solid road trip to Chucktown to start the season.
2. UNC-Charlotte (2-0) – The Niners were expected to roll last weekend, and they did.
3. Western Washington (1-0) – The Vikings drop a 20-burger on a solid D-I outfit.
4. St. Thomas (1-0) – Will faceoffs be an issue for the Tommies this spring?
5. Florida Atlantic (1-0) – The Owls post a D-I win to start the season.

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SNEAK PEEK AHEAD
No. 9 Boston College kicks off its season with a trip to Athens to face No. 5 UGA and Clemson while Utah Tech starts its Division I journey against No. 18 Arizona State and Grand Canyon. Tyler Burgasser leads Colorado to the Southeast for opening testers against Auburn and Georgia Tech. No. 12 South Carolina entertains No. 14 Florida State and Texas Christian for a weekend round robin.

No. 7 UNC-Charlotte travels to No. 19 Wake Forest in a non-subdivisional ALC clash that will determine the presumptive favorite in conference. Middle Tennessee State starts its MCLA experience with a doubleheader against North Florida and Florida Atlantic in Jacksonville.

Weekend Sweep. Catch us next Saturday @ 2pm on the IM fields vs GSU. pic.twitter.com/7RGB5JgRCa
— Canes Lacrosse (@UMiamiLacrosse) February 5, 2024

SLIDES & RIDES
- Cal is out of the gates with an 8-4 win over rival Santa Clara. The goalies were the star of the show with Bears grad student Cody Wiebe – a Tufts transfer – making 15 saves and Bronco sophomore Ryan Rosselli turning away 18 shots. Sonoma trimmed Stanford, 10-8, to get out on the good foot. It’s still early, but the WCLL could be volatile.

- Wake Forest maximized its travel budget this weekend, winning four games in two days. The Demon Deacons burned through a third of their regular season schedule in a matter of 26 hours.

- Iowa State went to Minnesota to tackle three of the top UMLC-II squads in two days. The results weren't great, but it’s not a terrible strategy. They may not see many more teams as good as NDSU, St. Thomas and Duluth in the regular season.

- USA Lacrosse’s Preseason Player of the Year Aidan Smith is off to spicy start. He scored five goals and dished out three assists in Virginia Tech’s victory over conference foe East Carolina.

- Player and Goalie of the Week nominations are due in a couple of hours. The nomination must be from a head coach and doesn’t include scrimmages. Send noms to [email protected].