Although we had a few a changes in the top 20, last week was the most stable in the young Division II season. The top five remains intact after each team picked up a win, with Pace opening its season with a victory over LIU Post.
However, the story of the season so far is the struggle of defending NCAA champion Limestone. The Saints fell to Mercyhurst over the weekend and moved to 2-3 on the year — a start that backs them up to No. 14 in this week’s rankings.
Overall, it was a pretty steady week in Division II, with two new arrivals to the top 20.
March 5, 2017 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merrimack | 2-0 | 1 | 3/10 vs. No. 12 LIU Post |
| 2 | Le Moyne | 3-0 | 2 |
3/11 vs. Florida Southern
|
| 3 | Tampa | 5-0 | 3 |
3/7 vs. Westminster (Utah)
|
| 4 | Belmont Abbey | 5-0 | 4 | 3/7 vs. No. 6 Lenoir-Rhyne |
| 5 | Pace | 1-0 | 5 |
3/7 at No. 10 NYIT
|
| 6 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 5-1 | 6 |
3/7 at No. 4 Belmont Abbey
|
| 7 | Seton Hill | 2-1 | 8 | 3/7 vs. UDC |
| 8 | Colorado Mesa | 3-0 | 9 | 3/6 vs. No. 18 Rockhurst |
| 9 | NYIT | 2-3 | 10 | 3/7 vs. No. 5 Pace |
| 10 | Mercyhurst | 3-1 | 11 |
3/10 at No. 11 Mount Olive
|
| 11 | Mount Olive | 4-1 | 14 | 3/6 vs. Walsh |
| 12 | LIU Post | 2-1 | 12 |
3/10 at No. 1 Merrimack
|
| 13 | Adelphi | 1-1 | 13 |
3/8 vs. Saint Thomas Aquinas
|
| 14 | Limestone | 2-3 | 7 | 3/7 vs. Tusculum |
| 15 | Mercy | 4-1 | 15 |
3/7 vs. Assumption
|
| 16 | Lindenwood | 3-0 | 20 |
3/10 vs. No. 14 Limestone
|
| 17 | Saint Leo | 4-1 | 16 |
3/10 vs. Queens (N.C.)
|
| 18 | Rockhurst | 5-0 | N/A |
3/6 at No. 8 Colorado Mesa
|
| 19 | Southern New Hampshire | 2-0 | N/A |
3/10 vs. No. 15 Mercy
|
| 20 | Lake Erie | 0-1 | 17 |
3/10 vs. Rollins
|
ALSO CONSIDERED: Florida Southern, Florida Tech, Indianapolis, Queens (N.C.), Rollins, Saint Anselm, Tusculum, Wheeling Jesuit, Wingate
HOT
Mercyhurst (+2)
After falling to NYIT in the season opener, the Lakers have tallied three straight wins, including one over Wingate and another over the defending national champion in Limestone. Yes, the Saints aren’t what they were last season, but the victory still stands out for Mercyhurst.
Mount Olive (+3)
Outside of a one-goal loss to Queens (N.C.), Mount Olive has done its job this season. The Trojans beat Saint Leo this weekend to improve to 4-1. They’ll meet Mercyhurst on Saturday.
NOT
Limestone (-7)
A 2-3 start is unlike Limestone, but here we are. The Saints have dropped games to Lenoir-Rhyne, Tampa and Mercyhurst sandwiched between wins over Lynn and Lees-McRae. The schedule eases a bit, but a matchup with Tusculum and a road game at No. 16 Lindenwood can’t be overlooked. Limestone was scoring three fewer goals per game than last season and allowing over two more goals per game as of March 1.
IN
Rockhurst
Rockhurst is a team that benefits from its early-season schedule, but it’s hard to overlook a 5-0 start to the season. It’s especially hard when Rockhurst led the nation in scoring as of March 1, with 19.50 goals per game.
Southern New Hampshire
A 2-0 start is enough to garner attention ahead of a matchup with No. 15 Mercy this weekend. If Southern New Hampshire can move to 3-0, it could end up as a mainstay in the rankings instead of a fringe member.
OUT
Queen’s (N.C.)
Facing one of the nation’s toughest schedules, Queens (N.C.) fell to Belmont Abbey 10-4 over the weekend. Still, with a win over Mount Olive under its belt, this team will stick around for quite some time. Next up is another tough one against Saint Leo.
Wingate
Wingate, like Limestone, has stumbled to this point of the season. After beating Florida Tech to open 2018, Wingate has lost to Mercyhurst, Indianapolis and Lynn. It’s not a strong start to the season for a team that made the NCAA tournament in 2017.