It’s been a mundane start to the 2020 women’s lacrosse season, no?
Thankfully, it’s been anything but. The 2020 season didn’t come out of the gate slowly. Instead, four of top five teams from the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women’s Preseason Top 20 lost in the first two weeks. The only one to remain standing is North Carolina, our preseason No. 1 which hasn’t moved from the top spot.
Beneath the Tar Heels, Syracuse (preseason No. 2), Maryland (preseason No. 3), Northwestern (preseason No. 4) and Boston College (preseason No. 5) have all lost, creating an opening for other teams to stake their claims near the top of the rankings.
Below, we present 10 questions about the teams most impacted by the early-season shakeup.
Has Boston College Taken a Step Back?
We knew Boston College could have a rough go of it in the beginning. Graduating Sam Apuzzo, Kenzie Kent and Dempsey Arsenault left obvious holes, but overlooked have been the losses of Taylor Walker, Elizabeth Miller, Brooke Troy and Christina Walsh. The Eagles are considerably inexperienced as a result.
Sure, Duke transfer Charlotte North is a star and Boston College will likely remain ranked throughout the season. A loss to UMass was a wake-up call and not something to be overly concerned with. But this could be a season that sets the program up for more success in 2021.
Perhaps Friday night’s contest against No. 10 USC in Los Angeles will better show how far the Eagles have or have not come since their unexpected loss to the Minutewomen.
Is Dartmouth Among the Ivy League’s Elite?
Dartmouth was the co-champion of the Ivy League in 2019 before falling to Penn in a conference semifinal and getting bounced by Colorado in the first round of the NCAA tournament. As something of a surprise contender, Dartmouth beat up on the teams it should have but only beat one ranked opponent — Penn in the regular season.
The Big Green already have one win over a ranked team, a 15-11 triumph over the No. 13 UMass team that upset Boston College. While Ellie Carson and Sophia Turchetta are reliable scorers, Dartmouth lacks the true star power that upper echelon Ivy teams like Princeton (Kyla Sears) and Penn (Erin Barry, Gabby Rosenzweig) possess.
Is Florida Now a Championship Favorite?
First things first. Let’s not undersell the achievement of the Gators, who ended a Maryland home winning streak lasting nearly eight years. Florida rightfully earned its No. 2 ranking in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20 as a result. But are the Gators really a top-five program?
Against Maryland, five freshmen (including underclassmen) started. Amanda O’Leary’s recruiting class was highly regarded coming into the year, but a team with so many freshmen in key roles should expect growing pains. The Gators are talented, and the future is bright. But it might be wise to temper expectations with such a young team.
Is Maryland’s Window Closed?
Rumors of Maryland’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. You’ve heard that before. Probably year after year, if we’re being honest. The lone constant, Cathy Reese, is a master of not just recruiting, but getting the best out of the players on her sideline.
That’s why a loss to Florida in College Park isn’t the beginning of a decline. If anything, Reese will spin this as motivation to start a new streak. We knew the defense might start slowly with Lizzie Colson out for the year with an ACL injury, and once the unit comes together, there will be fewer lapses.
The Terps are still championship weekend contenders. Don’t count them out.
Can Michigan repeat last season’s success?
The Wolverines went 16-4 and made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2019. It was historic for the program and a legitimate success story. But after seeing Michigan in the early stages of 2020, there are some offensive concerns.
The sample size is admittedly small. Much can change after two games. But averaging nine goals per game in an environment in which scoring numbers are up is not conducive to success. Plus, with sturdy defenses like Colorado and Denver on tap within the next four weeks, Michigan could find it even more difficult to score.
A very good defense (which Michigan possesses) might have to play close to mistake-free for Michigan to recapture its 2019 success.
Will Northwestern’s defense hold it back?
Last year, Northwestern allowed 14 goals or more eight times and went 3-5 in such games. The only reason there was a “3” in the win column was because of an out-of-this-world offense.
The top-notch offense remains, as the Wildcats have scored 97 goals in four games — highlighted by outputs of 30 and 28 against Detroit Mercy and Arizona State, respectively. But they’ve also already allowed at least 15 goals twice, once in a 24-20 win over Duke and once in a 17-15 loss to Notre Dame.
Much of the defense is back from 2019, and Julie Krupnick and Madison Doucette have seen nearly equal time in the cage. Krupnick has saved 32.5 percent of shots. Doucette has saved 46.8 percent. For this team to make a true championship run, the defense needs to catch up to the offense.
Is Notre Dame here to stay?
The Irish were good but not great in 2018. In 2019, they clearly turned a corner but were up and down at the end of the season, even falling to Duke in an ACC quarterfinal.
What will 2020 bring?
Even though losing Sam Giacolone to graduation created some concerns in goal, Notre Dame has flourished in the early going. The Irish are 3-0 with decisive wins over Marquette and Central Michigan and one of the top wins of 2020, a 17-15 triumph against Northwestern in Evanston.
The veterans — namely Andie Aldave, Samantha Lynch and Maddie Howe — have done what’s expected of them. But it’s the young duo of Madison Ahern and Kasey Choma, two highly touted freshmen, who have emerged as instant contributors.
This team has staying power.
Will Stony Brook again be held back by the America East?
Ever since Stony Brook rose to national prominence, the relatively soft America East schedule has hurt the Seawolves in NCAA tournament seeding. Remember when the Seawolves held the No. 1 spot in the rankings for a majority of the 2018 season but only earned the No. 5 seed?
It almost always comes down to strength of schedule, and perhaps a perception of mid-major teams compared to the ACCs of the world. But having downed Syracuse and with a huge game on Feb. 29 against Florida on tap, Stony Brook can potentially reinforce its standing among the nation’s elite.
If that happens, it’s tough to see the selection committee using the America East as a reason to hold the Seawolves back.
Is Syracuse just the third-best team in the ACC?
It’s hard to argue that North Carolina belongs anywhere but No. 1 in the nation and therefore No. 1 in the ACC. Notre Dame, based off early results, is firmly positioned second in the conference. That leaves Syracuse, which lost a one-goal thriller to Stony Brook and recently announced that redshirt senior Morgan Alexander will miss the rest of the season with a leg injury.
Alexander had played in all four games and chipped in four goals and three assists, so that’s a complementary role that must be filled.
Syracuse will still be an NCAA tournament team and is, of course, a national threat, but UNC and Notre Dame just look too strong.
Is UMass elite?
The Minutewomen were certainly impressive against Boston College, but then they stumbled against Dartmouth.
UMass was nearly the Atlantic 10 champion in 2019 but lost to Richmond in overtime of the title game. A deep conference run is still very much in the cards.
But the Minutewomen will not play another nationally ranked opponent until their April 30 regular season finale against Syracuse in Schenectady, N.Y. Comparatively, other fringe top-20 teams — namely Duke and High Point — have tougher schedules ahead.
That said, a season-ending upset of another ACC powerhouse could be exactly what propels UMass to its best finish since advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals in 2016.