Flagler Breakthrough Continues, Saints Rise in Nike/USAL D-II Women's Top 20
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© 2024 USA Lacrosse. All Rights Reserved.
© 2024 USA Lacrosse. All Rights Reserved.
As we move into April, there are only four undefeated teams remaining in Division II, and three of them reside right near the top of this week’s Nike/USA Lacrosse Division II Women’s Top 20.
West Chester, 10-0, stays at the top after flexing its No. 1 muscle to defeat defending champion UIndy in a neutral site meeting. No. 2 Regis, 9-0, continued to roll over its opponents, with a combined 37-5 score in its two victories. No. 5 Rollins stands 11-0 as it begins its run through the SSC gauntlet. The fourth undefeated team, Maryville, is not too far behind, sitting at No. 8 with its 12-0 record.
Looking ahead, this could be a pivotal week in the competitive Sunshine State Conference, as No. 3 Florida Southern plays both No. 7 Tampa and No. 5 Rollins, with Rollins also visiting No. 12 Embry-Riddle.
April 3, 2023 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
West Chester |
10-0 |
1 |
4/4 vs. Millersville |
|
2 |
Regis |
9-0 |
2 |
4/6 vs. Colorado Mesa |
|
3 |
Florida Southern |
10-1 |
4 |
4/5 at No. 7 Tampa |
|
4 |
Pace |
8-1 |
5 |
4/4 vs. New Haven |
|
5 |
Rollins |
11-0 |
6 |
4/5 vs. No. 12 Embry-Riddle |
|
6 |
UIndy |
10-2 |
3 |
4/6 at McKendree |
|
7 |
Tampa |
10-2 |
8 |
4/5 vs. No. 3 Florida Southern |
|
8 |
Maryville |
12-0 |
9 |
4/6 at Lewis |
|
9 |
East Stroudsburg |
8-2 |
10 |
4/5 vs. Kutztown |
|
10 |
Le Moyne |
7-2 |
12 |
4/4 vs. American International |
|
11 |
Flagler |
11-1 |
14 |
4/8 vs. Young Harris |
|
12 |
Embry-Riddle |
10-1 |
13 |
4/5 at No. 5 Rollins |
|
13 |
Adelphi |
6-3 |
11 |
4/4 at So. Connecticut State |
|
14 |
Lynn |
9-3 |
7 |
4/5 vs. Saint Leo |
|
15 |
Wingate |
11-2 |
15 |
4/8 vs. Anderson |
|
16 |
Grand Valley State |
7-4 |
17 |
4/7 vs. Concordia-St. Paul |
|
17 |
Limestone |
9-2 |
NR |
4/8 vs. Lincoln Memorial |
|
18 |
Bentley |
6-3 |
16 |
4/4 at So. New Hampshire |
|
19 |
Mercy |
5-5 |
18 |
4/8 vs. St. Thomas Aquinas |
|
20 |
Saint Anselm |
8-1 |
20 |
4/5 at Assumption |
Flagler (+3)
Flagler’s breakthrough season continued in grand fashion last week, as the Saints extended their winning streak to nine games, including an upset win over then-No. 7 Lynn. The Saints have now reached the fringe of the top 10 with their highest ranking of the season. Trailing 6-1 after one quarter against Lynn, Flagler rallied to force overtime on Lexie Morton’s fourth goal in the second half, then registered the game-winner on Ella Pinder’s goal in the extra session.
Pace (+1)
Pace was tabbed to finish third in the NE10’s preseason coaches poll behind traditional powerhouses Adelphi and Le Moyne. In the past 10 days, Pace has demolished both of those teams, winning back-to-back games by 11 and 10 goals, and after beating Southern New Hampshire Saturday, the Setters are now the clear frontrunner in the conference race with a 5-0 record. Pace owns wins over No. 1 East Stroudsburg, No. 7 Tampa, No. 10 Le Moyne and No. 13 Adelphi ... all by 10 goals or more. Their only loss was at No. 3 Florida Southern by two goals, 14-12.
Lynn (-7)
The Fighting Knights had their seven-game winning streak halted with back-to-back losses against Flagler and Florida Southern last week. In the narrow loss to Flagler, Lynn forged ahead three times in the fourth quarter, only to have Flagler respond each time with the tying goal, as well as the eventual game-winner in overtime.
UIndy (-3)
The Greyhounds fell short in their bid to capture their fourth Top 20 win of the season, falling 15-11 in a neutral site matchup against No. 1 West Chester. Trailing by one goal late in the third quarter, UIndy couldn’t keep pace, as WCU scored five of the game’s next six goals to seal the win and remain undefeated.
Limestone (No. 17)
The Saints have taken care of business since their 1-2 start, capturing their ninth straight win with Saturday’s 19-4 victory at Coker. The winning streak should be in double-digits by the time Limestone plays Wingate in the regular season finale later this month, a showdown between the top two teams in the South Atlantic Conference.
Saint Leo (was No. 19)
After an impressive 8-2 start against non-conference foes, the Lions had a rude awakening in their Sunshine State Conference opener, falling 18-1 in a non-competitive showing against Tampa. Unfortunately, there won’t be much schedule relief the rest of the way with six more league games, including four of those against teams ranked in this week’s Top 20.
Paul Ohanian has worked at USA Lacrosse since 2006 and is currently the senior manager of program content. Prior to joining USA Lacrosse, he served as SID at a Division III school with a strong lacrosse tradition and learned to appreciate the commitment and passion that athletes at all levels bring to the game.
