Maryland, North Carolina and Florida all dominated this past week, beating their opponents by eight or more goals, to remain the top three teams in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20.
But a new team has jumped into the Top 5 after an impressive six-goal win over Notre Dame – Ivy League leader Princeton. Colorado also bumped up three spots to No. 6 with an upset win over Penn State.
Two losses to unranked opponents shifted the bottom of the pack, first Rutgers dropping James Madison three spots with the upset win and then Louisville knocking out Duke for the Blue Devils’ third straight loss. The Cardinals now sit at No. 20.
Only three teams remain undefeated – the No. 1 Terps after a whopping 17-7 win over Syracuse, resembling their 10-goal win over the Orange in the 2016 final four, plus Princeton and Colorado.
March 13, 2017 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland | 6-0 | 1 | 3/19 vs. No. 17 Johns Hopkins |
| 2 | North Carolina | 6-1 | 2 | 3/14 vs. No. 14 Elon |
| 3 | Florida | 5-1 | 3 | 3/14 vs. No. 4 Syracuse |
| 4 | Syracuse | 7-1 | 4 | 3/14 at No. 3 Florida |
| 5 | Princeton | 5-0 | 8 | 3/21 vs. No. 8 Penn State |
| 6 | Colorado | 7-0 | 9 | 3/15 vs. Winthrop |
| 7 | Stony Brook | 5-1 | 5 | 3/13 at Jacksonville |
| 8 | Penn State | 7-1 | 6 | 3/18 vs. Rutgers |
| 9 | USC | 4-1 | 7 | 3/13 vs. New Hampshire |
| 10 | Cornell | 4-1 | 10 | 3/15 at Albany |
| 11 | Notre Dame | 8-2 | 11 | 3/15 at No. 18 Towson |
| 12 | Penn | 5-1 | 12 | 3/18 vs. Duke |
| 13 | Northwestern | 3-4 | 14 | 3/19 at No. 2 North Carolina |
| 14 | Elon | 6-1 | 15 | 3/14 at No. 2 North Carolina |
| 15 | Virginia Tech | 9-2 | 16 | 3/18 vs. William & Mary |
| 16 | James Madison | 5-3 | 13 | 3/15 at Richmond |
| 17 | Johns Hopkins | 7-1 | 18 | 3/19 at No. 1 Maryland |
| 18 | Towson | 4-3 | 19 | 3/15 vs. No. 11 Notre Dame |
| 19 | Denver | 6-1 | 20 | 3/19 vs. Temple |
| 20 | Louisville | 7-2 | NR | 3/15 at Coastal Carolina |
Also considered: Boston College, Duke, Stanford
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
Hot
Colorado (+3)
Colorado keeps rolling. The Buffs now sit with a 7-0 record, highlighted by wins over Northwestern, Denver and now a 2016 final four team in Penn State.
Princeton (+3)
The Tigers remain undefeated after ending Notre Dame's eight-game winning streak. Princeton won more draw controls and ground balls, remaining consistent to hold the Irish to just four goals in each half.
Not
James Madison (-3)
The Dukes are struggling to hang on. They lost back-to-back games, most recently to unranked Rutgers, a team that has lost to unranked Temple and Delaware.
Penn State (-2)
Penn State’s seven-game winning streak was snapped by a rising Colorado team. The Nittany Lions relinquished a two-goal halftime lead and allowed the Buffs to score 11 goals in the second half of a 16-11 loss.
New
Louisville
The Cardinals have a solid 7-2 record, with their two losses coming to No. 19 Denver and No. 11 Notre Dame by just one and two goals, respectively. A win over ACC foe Duke pushed them into the Top 20.
Out
Duke
The Blue Devils have lost three straight games, all to ACC rivals, most recently against unranked Louisville. Their best win is over unranked Stanford, a team yet with a lack of quality Top 20 victories.