Mike Unterstein wrestles with his roommate almost every day. Unterstein said no one ever wins when the roommates wrestle because they are so evenly matched.

Go figure. They’re twins.

Unterstein and his brother Kevin are sophomores on the Hofstra men’s lacrosse team this season. Chris Unterstein, the oldest brother at Hofstra, is one of the team’s captains, and his leadership skills helped his younger brothers adjust to college life and Division I athletics.

‘Last year it was him teaching us,’ Kevin said. ‘This year he is like another coach out there.’

Chris leads Hofstra this season with 30 points scored while Kevin is the team leader with 36 ground balls. The Unterstein brothers have been major contributors to the Pride, a team that has not lost since February 26 and has climbed to No. 3 in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.

Chris is used to being a leader since he is a team captain, but he is just as proud to be his brothers’ leader. He said it is much different leading his brothers than his other teammates.

‘They are two great players and for them to look up to me it’s quite an honor,’ Chris said. ‘They can also be a pain in the butt sometimes. It is easier for me to criticize them but it may be harder for them to take it.’

The Unterstein brothers are as competitive off the field as they are on the field. Mike said he wrestles with his twin brother and roommate frequently, and all the brothers play soccer when they are away from lacrosse.

This competitiveness has actually brought the brothers closer together through the years. Even though Chris is older than Mike and Kevin, they have many friends in common and have remained close in college.

‘We compete just because we are brothers and close in age,’ Chris said. ‘I actually hung out with them in high school. We have always been really close.’

Hofstra is only a 45-minute drive from the Untersteins’ home in Shoreham, N.Y., making it easy for their parents to come to games. Three years ago, their parents faced a bigger strain when their oldest son, Bobby, was playing lacrosse at Pennsylvania.

Chris remembers how difficult it was for his parents to travel to Penn for his brother’s games, especially because he was a freshman at Hofstra when Bobby was a senior. Chris said having his parents in the stands for his games is very important to him.

‘It’s one of the reasons I stayed close to home,’ Chris said. ‘(Playing close to home) has definitely helped out with gas money.’

Because Hofstra is so close to his home, Chris also had an opportunity to recruit his younger brothers to play for Hofstra. The twins came to Hofstra several times during their senior years in high school.

Instead of forcing their parents to watch their sons play lacrosse at different schools, Mike and Kevin decided to follow their brother to Hofstra.

‘It’s great playing close to home,’ Mike said. ‘My parents love it. My dad has all our numbers on his sweatshirt.’

Ivy on Fire

Even though Cornell lost its first game of the season this week, the Ivy League is the hottest conference in the nation. Harvard climbed to No. 16 in the I.L. Poll this week after beating Denver in overtime on Saturday. Pennsylvania shot up nine spots in the I.L. to No. 9 after beating Cornell to give the Quakers a 7-1 record this season.

Stock Falling

No. 19 Denver lost three of its last four and is in danger of slipping out of the top 20 in the I.L. Poll for the first time all season. Denver won four in a row to climb to No. 11 in the I.L. Poll, but has faltered since then. With a 5-4 record, the Pioneers still have a good shot at qualifying for the NCAA tournament, but they need to get back on track fast.

Power Five

1. Virginia – The Cavaliers made it clear they deserved to be No. 1 by beating No. 4 Maryland 15-5 on Saturday. Add that win to a resume that includes a 10-0 record, the highest scoring offense in Division I and a defense that has only allowed double-digit goals once this season (against Syracuse).

2. Hofstra – Since losing to Massachusetts on Feb. 26, the Pride has beaten five ranked teams and improved its record to 7-1. If it weren’t for Virginia’s incredible record, Hofstra would have a case to be the No. 1 team in the nation.

3. Georgetown – The Hoyas finally earned a quality win against Navy this weekend. The road victory against a tough opponent moves them easily into the top three in the power rankings.

4. Maryland – The Terrapins were no match for Virginia, even though they faced the Cavaliers at home. Maybe Maryland is just overrated, but it is easier to believe Virginia is just that good.

5. Cornell – The Big Red beat Duke before the Blue Devils faced a criminal investigation, so that has to count for something. The loss to Pennsylvania definitely hurts, but Cornell deserves to stay in the power five this week.

Published on April 3, 2006 at 12:00 pm