Dialed In: Your Lacrosse Fix for Tuesday, Feb. 21
Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. Jacksonville, Syracuse notch Presidents’ Day wins.
Jacksonville trailed 4-2 after the first quarter but used a five-goal second to upend Stanford 12-10 on Monday. The win gave the Dolphins their first in the Tara Singleton era, while Stanford dropped to 1-2. Sarah Elms (4 G, 1 A) and Brianna Samuels (4 G) paced Jacksonville.
There were far fewer surprises in newly-minted No. 2 Syracuse’s game against Binghamton. The Orange trounced its in-state foe 17-10 behind four goals from Megan Carney.
2. Speaking of Syracuse, it’s on the rise in the women’s Division I poll.
The Orange’s all-out dominant effort over previously-No. 2 Maryland earned it a 20-11 win. Now, SU is in the No. 2 spot in the Nike/USA Lacrosse rankings. UNC remained No. 1, while Northwestern’s wins over Notre Dame and Boston College moved it from No. 6 to No. 3. Lopsided affairs without any other upsets led to only minor jostling elsewhere. Full list.
3. Major changes to the men’s Division I rankings — again.
Things will maybe, probably settle down in men’s Division I (but wouldn’t it be fun if they didn’t?). For now, the rankings are an exercise in whiplash, but No. 1 Virginia is holding strong. See this week’s top 20.
4. Upsets fuel change in men’s and women’s Division II polls.
Rollins stunned Grand Valley State 15-11 behind a nine-point game from Abigail Cawley. The Tars move from No. 10 to No. 7, with Grand Valley State slipping five spots to No. 10. Full list.
Rollins was also one of the big movers in the men’s Division II rankings, moving five spots from No. 16 to No. 11.. Adelphi also entered the top three. See the complete rankings.
5. Division III polls are out.
The top five remain in the women’s Division III polls stayed put, including No. 1 Middlebury. But Washington & Lee is on the rise.
The top six teams on the men’s side remained the same. But Ursinus enters the rankings after an upset win over Stevenson. Who exited as a result? Here’s the full list.
WHAT WE’RE READING
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There’s a new No. 1 in Jack Goods’ NLL Power Rankings.
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No. 6 Maryland can rebound from Friday’s loss to Syracuse today at Drexel. Maryland Athletics has the preview. You can get TV listings for college and pro games here.
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No. 3 Princeton hosts Manhattan tonight. Keep an eye on Jaspers netminder Joseph Persico, who stopped 22 of the 27 shots he faced and shut Navy out for the final 26 minutes of the game Saturday. The performance earned him MAAC Player of the Week.
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Syracuse defender Hallie Simkins dished on pregame rituals, karaoke and her teammates to Cuse.com.
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
Syracuse is just making it look too easy.
Maddy Baxter goes straight to goal off the draw!
— Syracuse Women's Lacrosse (@CuseWLAX) February 20, 2023
ACCNX pic.twitter.com/KTBWrILCyo
WHAT’S ON TAP
Find out the men’s and women’s players of the week.
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Beth Ann Mayer
Beth Ann Mayer is a Long Island-based writer. She joined USA Lacrosse in 2022 after freelancing for Inside Lacrosse for five years. She first began covering the game as a student at Syracuse. When she's not writing, you can find her wrangling her husband, two children and surplus of pets.