Upset Lands Army in Top 15 of Nike/USA Lacrosse Division I Women's Top 20

Army’s win over Jacksonville last weekend turned heads. But its 10-5 win over Rutgers, which had been No. 7, has the undefeated Black Knights in the top 15 of the Nike/USA Lacrosse Division I Women's Top 20.

It’s Army’s first win over a top 10 opponent in program history and the first time Army has cracked the Top 20 this season.

Jacksonville, ranked 19th in the preseason, notched the first win in the Tara Singleton era by upsetting Stanford on Monday. The Dolphins are now back in that same No. 19 spot.

The rest of the weekend was largely predictable, keeping the top six stable.

The 2023 ACC schedule began like the way last year ended — with North Carolina winning. The Tar Heels downed Virginia Tech 10-6 Friday night to maintain their No. 1 ranking. It was the 23rd straight regular-season conference win for the Heels, who took over the top spot in the Nike/USA Lacrosse rankings after beating Boston College on March 23, 2022, and have yet to lose it.

The two teams, which met in last year’s NCAA title game, meet again on Friday evening on ESPNU.

NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION I WOMEN’S TOP 20

Also considered (alphabetical order): Clemson (4-1), Johns Hopkins (1-2), Louisville (2-2), UMass (3-1), Penn (2-0), Penn State (4-0) Richmond (4-0), Yale (2-1)

Nike/USA Lacrosse Rankings

Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women

HOT

James Madison (+3)

Isabella Peterson had one of the best offensive performances of the season Saturday, scoring eight goals to lead the Dukes by High Point 19-8. The win was the third straight for JMU since falling to No. 1 UNC in the opener. JMU hosts a No. 6 Maryland team on Wednesday that has yet to play its best game.

Denver (+1)

The Pioneers have had their share of close calls to start the season but have come out on top, jetting out to a 4-0 record. The defense has once again been Denver’s calling card. No team has reached double digits against the Pios, who recently blew past Ohio State 11-4. Junior Bryn McCaughey leads the team with 10 caused turnovers, including one against the Buckeyes.

Boston College (No change)

The No. 4 Eagles had an entire week to stew about their late loss to Northwestern, and they stuck it to now-No. 11 Duke in a dominant 17-8 performance on Saturday. Kayla Martello continued her torrid pace, scoring five times. Martello leads BC with 18 goals this season — not bad for a player on a team that brought back All-Americans Jenn Medjid and Belle Smith. Now, all eyes shift to Chapel Hill, where the Eagles will clash with top-ranked UNC in a title-game grudge match.

NOT

Rutgers (-8)

Rutgers has put together inspired performance after inspired performance for head coach Melissa Lehman. Saturday’s 10-5 loss to unranked Army was a rare flat game. Cassidy Spilis remained a bright spot, pouring in four goals. Rutgersr can regain footing in a mid-week battle with in-state foe No. 18 Princeton.

Stanford (-8)

The Cardinal have a talented roster and posted a strong showing in a loss to Virginia on opening weekend. But Monday’s loss to Jacksonville and a 1-2 start has the Cardinal hanging onto the Top 20 by a thread. Stanford can find momentum against tough — and undefeated — opponents in Cornell on Monday and Stony Brook on Friday.

IN

Army (No. 14)

A hat trick and a helper from rookie Brigid Duffy and one goal and three assists from senior Kathleen Sullivan paced Army to a stunning win over previously No. 7 Rutgers. Only Spilis could get anything going against the Black Knights’ defense, which got 12 saves from goalie Lacey Bartholomay. Army travels to Long Island to play Hofstra Saturday.

Jacksonville (No. 19)

The Dolphins handed Tara Singleton her first win by beating Stanford, previously No. 12, on Monday. Jacksonville’s 1-3 record may not look impressive, but the Dolphins have only played ranked opponents in No. 17 Michigan, No. 15 Rutgers, No. 14 Army and No. 20 Stanford. The slate has Jacksonville battle-tested — something to fear as the season progresses. Next up: Arizona State at home on Friday.

OUT

Richmond (was No. 17)

At 4-0, the Spiders haven’t done anything wrong. The problem is that their wins come against four teams that are a combined 3-11 (Queens, William & Mary, Liberty and Howard). Every other team in the Top 20 has played at least one opponent that has been ranked for at least one week. It’s hard to boot programs like Michigan, Jacksonville, Princeton and Stanford, which have challenged themselves against ranked foes, including those in the top 10, in favor of a Richmond team that hasn’t faced a high-performing opponent.

And Jacksonville’s win over Stanford put it back in the Top 20, so it’s only fair that teams like Michigan and Rutgers, who beat the Dolphins, stay. The Spiders will have chances to prove themselves in the next month, including upcoming games against Navy (Sunday), UMass (March 11) and UVA (March 15).

Louisville (was No. 19)

The Cardinals played Virginia to a 6-6 tie in the first half on Saturday but could not keep up in the second half of a 19-9 loss. The loss and upsets from Army and Jacksonville move Louisville out of the Top 20. The Cardinals can rebound Monday against Vanderbilt.

PREVIOUS RANKINGS

• Preseason

• Week 1: Feb. 13, 2023

• Week 2: Feb. 20, 2023