(Photo by Lance Wendt)

by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us

LA CROSSE, Wis. – The fun part of these columns is the ability to have hyperbolic, knee-jerk reactions to the results of one or two games for a particular team.

Who is on the therapists’ couch today?

It’s your Division I defending champions!

No. 3 Grand Canyon lost a thriller to No. 5 Colorado, 12-11 on Saturday afternoon in Boulder two days after losing, 7-6 to Colorado State on Thursday.

Is the sky falling for the Lopes?

SUNDAY'S GAMES

The CSU loss hurts because the Rams were unranked (for now) and GCU coughed up six goals in the final 15 minutes after only allowing one in the first 45.

And sometimes you have to tip your cap when a goalie gets hot, and that’s what happened with the Rams’ Frank Culhane, who made 17 stops to allow for the improbable comeback.

Buffs win 12-11 over @GCUlacrosse in a real thriller. Thank to the fans. See you Tuesday here at Kitt Field. @MCLA @CUBoulder @CUBuffsTurf @coloradobuffaloes pic.twitter.com/eBCA0nq30a
— CU Men's Lacrosse (@CUMensLacrosse) March 24, 2018

The loss to the Buffs isn’t a huge surprise. The teams appeared to be even and CU held serve on its own field by a goal. Big deal.

The fact is, Grand Canyon’s extended weekend was less about them and more about the teams they played.

Colorado State was a cornered animal, and played like one. If the Rams lost on Thursday, it was probably over for 2018. Now they have a signature win and the potential to finish with a winning season.

Again, tip the cap.

I’ve talked about the Colorado Cardiac kids already, and they continued that theme on Saturday.

SATURDAY'S RESULTS

We’ll see when my Top 5s come out tomorrow in The Reverb, but you can bank on the Buffs making an appearance.

It’s fun dunking on the champs. I get it. It’s human nature.

So Grand Canyon is now 6-2 with three games left in which they will be considerable favorites. If the Lopes are 9-2 and heading into the SLC tourney as the No. 1 seed out of the south, this weekend might cost them a seed or two.

If they win the SLCs, it means nothing.

Long-story short, if you’re a GCU hater, enjoy the weekend. This might be it for a while.

* * *

Day 2 of our coverage of @MCLA lacrosse in Delaware. Tune in tomorrow at 12pm when @HokieLax faces-off against @MSU_Lacrosse. Get all the action here: https://t.co/pRRAJ0Vhfg pic.twitter.com/mUKi0AExHF
— LTR Mid-Atlantic (@LTRMidAtlantic) March 24, 2018

Eagles Do Enough
As we talked about on Friday, Sierra Nevada desperately needed a split this weekend to keep itself in the hunt for the No. 7 seed. Mission accomplished for the Eagles.

SNC took it to a banged-up No. 13 Cal State Fullerton, 13-6 on Saturday evening, ensuring that they escaped SoCal with something to show for it.
Saturday’s contest against No. 2 Duluth didn’t go quite as swimmingly as the Bulldogs dropped a 21-6 decision on the Eagles.

Fullerton has lost three straight and things don’t get any easier with Duluth up next today. The Titans are probably going to need the SLC AQ.

@LibertyLax with a big win over #4 Michigan State 9-8. @de_turf @MCLA #PlayingWithFire pic.twitter.com/I82JCaL2Qg
— Danny R. Aguilar (@DannyAguilar) March 25, 2018

Liberty Rings?
The Flames just put the pollsters – and perhaps even the selection committee – on the hot seat.

Liberty losing to UConn, and essentially handing them all of the Flames’ wins to this point, and then edging No. 4 Michigan State creates some non-linear issues for those trying to make sense of it all.

The Flames are now 5-3 with two quality wins (Michigan State, Arizona State) and three ranked losses (South Carolina, Colorado and Connecticut) with a biggie against Virginia Tech still to be played.

I’d say that puts them firmly on the bubble at this point. There are worse places to be.

Changing of the Guard
It may have gone under the radar for a lot of people, but Central Conn. States’ 8-7 overtime victory over No. 14 Bridgewater State might just be worth a ticket to Salt Lake City.

Unlike most conferences that send their league tournament champion to the MCLA National Championships powered by Under Armour, the PCLL gives its regular season champ the automatic qualifier.

The last two years it has been Bridgewater State, but if the Blue Devils can run the table on the remaining part of its schedule – starting today against Stonehill – they’ll get the nod.

UPSET ALERT CCSU downs #14 Bridgewater State in an OT thriller and take over as top dogs of the PCLL. Huge performance from attackman Jared Pearson @pearson_7 who had 3 goals and 2 assists on the day including the OT game winner! CCSU looks to keep the momentum rolling as they host Stonehill College tomorrow on Arute Field at 4pm.
A post shared by CCSU Mens Lacrosse (@ccsumenslacrosse) on Mar 24, 2018 at 7:50pm PDT

DIVISION I NOTES: Brigham Young swept its Boise trip showing some real grit on the defensive end in a 10-7 win over Simon Fraser. The Cougars wrap up their non-conference portion of the schedule at 10-1…tidy little business trip for UConn to Delaware so far with wins over Liberty and Pitt…LSU beat Texas State for the first time in program history on Friday night…No. 20 Georgia handed Alabama its first loss…East Carolina posted a pair of wins at the Battle at the Beach.

‪FINAL - THE HERD DEFENDS THE DOME! #GoBison #Racetosaltlake
A post shared by North Dakota State U Lacrosse (@ndsumensclublax) on Mar 24, 2018 at 7:23pm PDT

DIVISION II NOTES: North Dakota State further strengthened its top-ranked status with a comfortable, 14-6 win over No. 5 St. John’s…No. 25 Baylor downed UT-Dallas in what could be an LSA tournament preview…Montana is a step closer to grabbing a top seed in the PNCLL with a 10-5 win over Providence.