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Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:

1. Northwestern survived a furious rally to beat Johns Hopkins 10-9, thanks to a game-winning goal from Christina Esposito less than a minute into overtime. The Wildcats blew a 7-3 halftime lead and trailed 9-8 with seconds left, when Sheila Nesselbush scored as time expired to send the game to overtine.

Northwestern scored the game's first four goals, with two coming from Catie Ingrilli, and led by four goals at halftime. Johns Hopkins opened the second half with two straight goals to cut the deficit to 7-5. After a Wildcats goal, the Blue Jays put together a four-goal rally to take the lead with 3:19 left. Shannon Fitzgerald had two of her four goals during the run.

Nesselbush's goal sent the game to a third period and Esposito finished off the victory, the third straight for Northwestern.

Here's what else went down in women's lacrosse on Thursday:

  • In Division III, ​TCNJ won a No. 1-No. 2 matchup with Gettysburg 7-6 on Thursday afternoon. The Bullets took an early 3-1 lead aided by two goals from Emma Christie, but the Lions answered with three straight to take a 4-3 halftime lead. Christie added two more goals in the second half, but TCNJ held on to win.

  • In Division II, No. 2 Lindenwood overcame a halftime deficit to beat Lock Haven 13-10 and improve to 13-0 on the season. Down 8-7 after one period, the Lions rallied off six goals in the second half to take control of the game. Karli Gilbert had two of her three goals in the second half, helping Lindenwood pull away late.

  • Courtney Lafler scored five goals to lead No. 7 Limestone to an 18-9 win over Saint Leo. The Saints scored 10 of the first 11 games and cruised to the win. (WD2)

2. Penn State is heading into Big Ten play with a lot of optimism. It’s hard to blame the Nittany Lions, who have started the season 9-0 and moved into the No. 1 spot on the Nike/US Lacrosse Top 20.

With a mix of returners, like sophomore Grant Ament, and a few key freshmen like Mac O’Keefe — who sits second in the nation in scoring — Penn State is enjoying a start that has fans believing this is the year for which they’ve been waiting.

Time will tell, as Big Ten play is stacked. Every team in the Big Ten is currently ranked, which will present challenges every game for the rest of the season. First up, it’s Ohio State on Sunday.

3. Albany is off to a hot start, sitting at 7-1 and the No. 10 ranking in our Top 20. However, many say that the Great Danes haven’t been challenged so far this season, with six of seven wins coming against teams with losing records.

Either way, coach Scott Marr is enjoying what he’s seeing. 

“All I care about is how we’re playing, and we’re doing a lot of good things,” he said.

Led by the nation’s leading scorer, Connor Fields, and strong faceoff play from T.D. Ireland, the Great Danes are succeeding because of its efficiency of both sides of the field.

4. Is USC a contender of the women’s side? With a quality win over Northwestern, but three losses already this season, it’s hard to tell whether USC can compete with the top teams in the country.

As the Trojans head into Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play, which features No. 4 Colorado, they know they’ll have to step up to defend the conference title. Coach Lindsey Munday is hoping the East Coast trips and battles with Florida, Cornell and Stony Brook will help her team as the season nears the end.

WHAT WE'RE READING

  • Ahead of this summer's FIL Women's World Cup, US Lacrosse Women's Officials Education Manager Liz Brush walks us through the process of being selected as a referee for the event.

  • Inside Lacrosse gives us its midseason All-American teams. See who made the cut for the First and Second teams.

  • Salisbury coach Jim Berkman was honored to have won his 500th game, but he gave praise to his players, who have made his 29 season worth it. 

  • Maryland and Johns Hopkins picked up crucial wins last weekend and head into Big Ten play with a little momentum. The Terps' Dylan Maltz and the Blue Jays' Shack Stanwick weigh in on the upcoming conference schedule.

  • Another Roy Simmons is coaching lacrosse in the Syracuse area. Roy Simmons IV, whose father, grandfather and great grandfather played and coached at Syracuse, started coaching at Malius Pebble Hill School.

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

Want to see a team work the EMO to perfection? Jamie Munro's Vista Lacrosse team orchestrated a beautiful flurry of passes that led to the EMO goal.

What says Spring Break like a snowy lacrosse game? Cal Poly battled Nevada-Reno a snow flurry. At the end of March.

WHAT'S ON TAP

  • Friday, the lone men's matchup is a big one, as No. 9 Rutgers travels to face No. 16 Johns Hopkins on ESPN3 in the conference opener for both teams. The women's slate is busier, with No. 4 Colorado facing off with No. 8 Stony Brook and USC opening MPSF play against Fresno State.

  • Saturday, the headline matchup is No. 2 Notre Dame hosting No. 5 Syracuse on the men's side. Also in action is No. 17 Virginia visting No. 12 Richmond, No. 6 Marlyand battling No. 18 Michigan at College Park, No. 14 Princeton facing off with Brown and No. 12 Yale traveling to Penn. On the women's side, No. 4 Penn State welcomes Ohio State and No. 11 Towson meets No. 20 James Madison in a CAA matchup. Check out the full TV Listings here.

  • It's a pretty stacked Sunday, as well. Two big men's games start at 7 p.m., with No. 11 Duke traveling to North Carolina and No. 1 Penn State hosting No. 7 Ohio State. On the women's side, No. 16 Virginia and No. 18 Boston College face off and No. 13 Northwestern will battle No. 10 Penn. For Sunday's TV Listings, click here. 

“DIALED IN” IS POSTED DAILY MONDAY-FRIDAY AT 8 A.M. EASTERN ON USLAXMAGAZINE.COM.