Check out our staff picks for this upcoming week!
Who are you rooting for? Let us know! But, regardless of how we do, here are the games we are most excited for this weekend.
Denver vs Duke, 12pm
We are expecting this one to be physical. Duke is coming off of what is a bad loss for them to Jacksonville, and Denver is 2-0, but off to a slower start than their record is showing. The Pioneers beat Utah by one goal, and Air Force by 4 – in games we would have expected to be won by a larger margin. This game should act as a course corrector for both teams – but only one can come out on top. Duke leads the head-to-head matchups between these two teams 9-6, while averaging 11.87 goals per game. Every game has been relatively close, with the largest margin of victory only being 6 goals in a 15-9 Denver victory back in 2012. The lowest margin was a 2 goal game in 2016 with a final of 14-12. Although the Pioneers were victorious in both of those outings, they haven’t taken care of the Blue Devils since 2018, as they have lost their last 4 games against Duke as they head into this one. We expect a bounce back game from Duke and a W in close fashion, but we’ll see what we get.
JHU vs Loyola, 2pm
We’re heading into another big week for both Johns Hopkins and Loyola. Hopkins is coming off a 1-1 weekend following a loss on Sunday to Georgetown. It was a hard fought weekend for the Blue Jays, and we’re seeing a lot of grit and potential from this exciting roster. Loyola is coming off a 20-8 loss to Maryland, the new #1 team in the country. This is a big matchup for both Loyola and Hopkins, and should be a great game to watch this weekend. All-time, Hopkins is 25-6 against Loyola, but the Greyhounds came out on top 10-7 in their 2020 matchup. The average number of goals per game is 13.68, with 424 goals in those 31 games. We’re expecting a lot of excitement from this one, so strap in and get ready for a ride.
Maryland vs Syracuse, 12pm
This has got to be your game of the week hands down. What a day this is going to be. We have the perfect day for a Syracuse lacrosse fan; Coach Roy Simmons being inducted into the Ring of Honor, along with Katie Rowan and Gary Gait getting their jerseys retired. Cue the big bad Terps marching in to rain on the parade. The number one team in the nation will be taking a road trip up to Cuse to battle the Orange. We expect to see a fired up Syracuse team, and a Maryland team that looks like they have been playing for a month and a half. Syracuse is 6-11 all-time against the Terps, and 9.29 average goals per game. The last time these two met was in the 2016 quarterfinals where Maryland won 13-7. There is a lot to get fired up for if you are Syracuse, and for Maryland it’s business as usual. We’re excited to see comes out on top in this meeting of 2 juggernauts.
This is a friendly office competition, we are not betting real money. To get help for a gambling problem, for yourself, or a loved one, please reach out to: NYS HOPEline at: 1-877-8-HOPENY.
