Catholic opened its new home field in dramatic fashion Wednesday, upsetting then-No. 3 Franklin and Marshall in overtime, 10-9, to crack the top 15 in this week’s Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Women’s Top 20. The Cardinals, who trailed by three early in the second half, sent the Diplomats down to No. 5 in what marked the third straight one-goal game in this series.
Gettysburg and Tufts scored wins over ranked foes to remain 1-2, respectively, while Wesleyan and Amherst also won to move up to third and fourth, respectively. No. 7 Washington and Lee dropped then-No. 8 York out of the top 10 with 13-12 decision, and Salisbury won a neutral-site game against then-No. 15 Cortland to move to No. 8.
Intriguing non-conference matchups remain for some teams, starting with today’s clash between No. 9 Middlebury and the No. 8 Sea Gulls in Salisbury. Thursday, murderers’ row continues for No. 14 TCNJ as it travels to the No. 1 Bullets.
March 25, 2019 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gettysburg | 7-0 | 1 | 3/28 No. 14 TCNJ |
| 2 | Tufts | 7-0 | 2 | 3/30 Connecticut College |
| 3 | Wesleyan | 6-1 | 4 | 3/27 at Stevens |
| 4 | Amherst | 5-1 | 5 | 3/27 at Westfield State |
| 5 | Franklin & Marshall | 6-2 | 3 | 3/27 No. 8 Salisbury |
| 6 | Mary Washington | 9-1 | 6 | 3/30 at No. 8 Salisbury |
| 7 | Washington & Lee | 7-2 | 7 | 3/27 at Guilford |
| 8 | Salisbury | 7-1 | 9 | 3/25 No. 9 Middlebury |
| 9 | Middlebury | 4-1 | 10 | 3/25 at No. 8 Salisbury |
| 10 | Colby | 5-1 | 11 | 3/27 at Montclair State |
| 11 | York | 5-3 | 8 | 3/27 No. 9 Middlebury |
| 12 | Trinity | 5-1 | 12 | 3/27 vs. St. Lawrence in Rochester, N.Y. |
| 13 | St. John Fisher | 6-1 | 14 | 3/27 at Nazareth |
| 14 | TCNJ | 4-3 | 13 | 3/28 at No. 1 Gettysburg |
| 15 | Catholic | 5-2 | 17 | 3/27 at Messiah |
| 16 | Colorado College | 7-0 | 16 | 3/25 George Fox |
| 17 | Cortland | 3-3 | 15 | 3/27 Potsdam |
| 18 | William Smith | 6-3 | 19 | 3/29 Geneseo |
| 19 | Scranton | 7-1 | 20 | 3/27 Farmingdale State |
| 20 | Claremont-Mudd-Scripps | 8-1 | NR | 3/28 Williams |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Bates, Bowdoin, Brockport, Dickinson, Hamilton, Haverford, Ithaca, Meredith
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Catholic (+2)
The Cardinals’ three-game winning streak, including two over ranked foes, could not have come at a better team considering they looked non-competitive at times in a 14-8 loss to powerful Wesleyan March 12. Ally Criscuolo scored the game-winner in overtime of their stunner over F&M Wednesday to dedicate Carlini Field, a 600-seat, lighted turf facility, in style. That Catholic won that game after falling behind 6-3 and despite committing a season-high 27 turnovers is a testament to goalie Nanci Hernandez (season-high 12 saves), who seems to have gotten over a tough 90-minute stretch against Wesleyan and the first half of the subsequent Cortland game in which she combined to save just four of 24 shots faced. An upcoming three-game road trip concludes April 3 at No. 11 York.
NOT
York (-3)
The Spartans had a tough week against tough competition, falling Wednesday at No. 1 Gettysburg, 15-10, and Saturday at home to No. 7 W&L, 13-12. They played the Generals tough in a game of back-and-forth runs, but nine of the visitors’ first 10 shots on goal made it in. Senior Nicole Clauter provided a bright spot for York, controlling nine draws to become the program’s all-time leader with 268. The Spartans will need another big effort from her and will need to shoot more accurately (season-low 65.6 percent of attempts were on goal against W&L) if they are to break the two-game skid at home against No. 9 Middlebury.
IN
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (No. 20)
The Athenas have won three straight, including wins at the NJAC’s Montclair State and Kean during their visit to the Garden State, after a close home loss to nemesis Colorado College. Senior Corie Hack predictably leads the way with 33 goals and 40 points, but their next three point-producers are a sophomore and two freshmen. Defensively, CMS is allowing opponents an average of just 13 shots on goal per game, and sophomore Anna Gillespie and freshman Emma Goldfield have proved an effective 1-2 punch in goal. The Athenas begin a three-game homestand Thursday with a visit from Williams of the NESCAC.
OUT
Ithaca (previously No. 18)
The Bombers may have run out of ammunition late in their 12-8 loss at then-No. 14 St. John Fisher, scoring just twice after intermission brought a 6-6 tie. They placed just 10 shots on goal for the game, and only three in the second half. Like many in the Nike/US Lacrosse rankings, Ithaca has challenged itself with a tough out-of-conference schedule, but it has fallen to 1-3 against ranked teams. The silver lining, however, is the likelihood the slate has prepped the Bombers for Liberty League play, and three of their next four games are at home.