SPARKS, Md. — Last year, Le Moyne posted a 13-1 overall record but was left on the outside looking in when the NCAA Division II tournament field was announced in May.
Among other factors, the NCAA selection committee cited both Le Moyne’s RPI and strength of schedule as contributing factors in its omission, with both data sets ranking behind the three teams selected from the East Region.
This year, the third-ranked Dolphins are making their case early.
Head coach Liz Beville spent the offseason bolstering Le Moyne’s non-conference schedule and found willing partners from both within the East Region and beyond, which is why the Dolphins are starting their 2022 campaign with four straight games against opponents in the top 15 of the Nike/USA Lacrosse Division II Women’s Top 20.
Four days after posting a 10-9 win over No. 13 Mercy, the Dolphins added another tally in their favor, downing defending national champion and top-ranked Lindenwood 18-13 at USA Lacrosse headquarters.
Senior Jessica Meneilly scored a career-high seven goals on seven shots, and midfielder Adrianna Nojaim collected a career-high 12 draw controls to lead the Dolphins (2-0) in Sunday’s neutral site game.
“Our energy was so high right from the start,” Meneilly said. “From the players on the bench to the players on the field, it was just ecstatic out there.”
With Lindenwood choosing to faceguard All-American attacker Erin McMullen for most of the game, Meneilly capitalized on the opportunities available. She tallied five of her markers during a decisive 9-1 run that spanned late in the first quarter to early in the third quarter. Her fifth of the day, at 13:28 of the third quarter, helped Le Moyne establish its largest lead of the day at 11-6.
Despite the faceguard, McMullen added four goals, and three others — including Nojaim — scored twice for Le Moyne. Reilly Geer finished with a game-high five assists.
“With the faceguard they were playing, we knew that there was no slide coming,” Beville said. “We needed other players to step up and find ways to use that situation to our advantage. Jess is such a great finisher.”
A large part of Le Moyne’s success was also built on its dominance on the draw, finishing with a 22-11 advantage. With McMullen taking most of the draws and Nojaim seemingly collecting every 50-50 ball, the Dolphins maintained control for most of the final three quarters.
“It’s just a mindset that you have to have to make every ball yours,” said Nojaim, a senior who has accepted the new role of playing on the circle. “We knew that this would be a possession game.”
Despite the traditional success of both programs, Sunday’s contest was the first-ever meeting between the powerhouses. It might also be the last.
Ten days ago, Lindenwood announced that it had accepted an invitation to join the Ohio Valley Conference, effective July 1, and that it was beginning the reclassification process to elevate all of its varsity programs to the Division I level. It anticipates playing only games against Division I teams, starting next season.
“We had never played Le Moyne, and that’s not right,” Lindenwood coach Jack Cribbin said. “They’re a dynamic team, and today was a bit of a chess match. The final score doesn’t tell the entire story. I thought we were in that game, and if a few balls bounce our way, it’s a different game.”
Sunday’s game was also the second that Lindenwood (4-1) was playing without its All-American midfielder Lexy Biller, who sustained a season-ending ACL injury in the fourth quarter of February 20’s game at Concordia-St. Paul.
Sophomore Logann Eldredge led Lindenwood with four goals and two assists, while Bridget Considine, a graduate transfer from Stony Brook, added three goals.
“We have multiple people that can have the keys to the car,” Cribbin said. “Obviously, Lexy is a heck of a player and was the MVP of the NCAA tournament last year. But everyone plays a crucial role for us.”