The Terps are back on top.
After falling to North Carolina 13-7 in the 2016 NCAA Division I championship, Maryland got its revenge and regained its No. 1 spot in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20. A thunderstorm delay didn’t faze the Terps on Saturday, never skipping a beat in route to a 13-10 victory over the Tar Heels.
“For our program to come in and have a win against such a talented program is what we need right now,” Maryland coach Cathy Reese said.
Florida and Notre Dame recorded upset wins over USC and Duke, respectively, to also jump in the poll, while Virginia Tech makes its debut, continuing to record dominant wins since earning its first ACC win over Boston College. Elon dropped out after being silenced by the Irish, losing by nine goals.
Eight teams in the Top 20 remain undefeated with Denver and Penn State having school-record starts to the year, each with five straight wins. The Nittany Lions haven’t begun the season at 5-0 since 1993.
Feb 27, 2017 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland | 3-0 | 2 | 3/4 at Hofstra |
| 2 | North Carolina | 3-1 | 1 | 3/3 vs. Albany |
| 3 | Florida | 1-1 | 5 | 2/27 at Jacksonville |
| 4 | Syracuse | 4-0 | 6 | 2/27 vs. Albany |
| 5 | Stony Brook | 3-0 | 4 | 3/5 vs. No. 11 Northwestern |
| 6 | Penn State | 5-0 | 7 | 3/4 at Loyola |
| 7 | USC | 3-1 | 3 | 3/8 vs. Boston University |
| 8 | Penn | 2-0 | 9 | 3/1 at Rutgers |
| 9 | Princeton | 2-0 | 10 | 3/1 vs. Loyola |
| 10 | Colorado | 4-0 | 11 | 3/3 vs. No. 14 Denver |
| 11 | Northwestern | 2-2 | 12 | 3/3 vs. No. 4 Syracuse |
| 12 | Notre Dame | 6-1 | 14 | 3/4 vs. Louisville |
| 13 | Duke | 4-1 | 8 | 3/4 vs. No. 19 Virginia Tech |
| 14 | Denver | 5-0 | 15 | 3/3 at No. 10 Colorado |
| 15 | Johns Hopkins | 3-1 | 13 | 3/1 vs. Georgetown |
| 16 | Towson | 3-2 | 16 | 3/5 vs. No. 3 Florida |
| 17 | Cornell | 1-1 | 17 | 3/4 at No. 8 Penn |
| 18 | James Madison | 4-1 | 18 | 3/3 vs. Longwood |
| 19 | Virginia Tech | 6-1 | NR | 3/1 vs. Elon |
| 20 | Stanford | 3-2 | 20 | 2/28 vs. Michigan |
Also considered: Boston College, Delaware, Elon, Louisville
HOT
Florida (+2)
Florida is a top contender in this year’s race toward May. Defeating USC by five in the programs’ first-ever meeting, forcing the Trojans into a program-record 24 caused turnovers, was a solid win to bump the Gators up in the poll.
Notre Dame (+2)
The Fighting Irish are on a six-game winning streak after topping both Elon and Duke this week. They earned their first ACC win over the Blue Devils for an upset victory thanks to a second half comeback.
Maryland (+1)
After getting a quick 3-0 lead, the Terps never trailed and earned revenge for their 2016 NCAA championship loss to the Tar Heels. Jen Giles led the way with a team-high seven points.
NOT
Duke (-5)
The Blue Devils’ four-game winning streak was snapped, losing to Notre Dame by one in their ACC opener. They led 6-3 at halftime but allowed the Fighting Irish to come back in the second half. Notre Dame led 5-2 in the final 12:55.
USC (-4)
The Trojans fell in a Top 5 showdown against Florida for their first loss of the season, failing to recover from a 7-3 halftime deficit. They allowed the Gators to get more shots off and lost the ground ball battle.
North Carolina (-1)
The Tar Heels couldn’t repeat their 2016 championship performance against Maryland, even though the Terps graduated Taylor Cummings and Alice Mercer. North Carolina dominated on the draw, but wasn’t as scrappy in the ground ball battle.
NEW
Virginia Tech
Since falling 9-6 to James Madison on Feb. 15, the Hokies have won four straight games, scoring 15 goals or more. Since upsetting Boston College, they have held their opponents to six or fewer goals in every game.
OUT
Elon
Elon’s hot start was halted when Notre Dame topped the Phoenix in a dominating 16-7 win with a 6-0 Irish run spanning both halves. Elon’s four-game winning streak was snapped, but it has an opportunity to rebound in its next game against Virginia Tech.