Six matchups involving ranked teams last week shook up the Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Women’s Top 20.
Perhaps most surprising was then-No. 14 Franklin and Marshall’s 12-2 road win at then-No. 2 Cortland. That the Diplomats, ranked fourth in the preseason, won may not be a surprise, but certainly the way they did was.
Top-ranked Middlebury dropped then-No. 10 Tufts, 15-6, while No. 2 Trinity was pushed to double overtime at then-No. 18 Colby before escaping, 8-7. No. 4 Gettysburg knocked previously surging Washington and Lee from the ranks of the unbeaten, 11-4, in Gettysburg.
Mother Nature got involved, postponing Saturday’s showdown between then-No. 6 Brockport and then-No. 13 Ithaca, among other games. This week will see several teams hit the road for spring-break games at neutral sites in the South. Among the highlights is No. 8 William Smith vs. No. 12 Bowdoin in Englewood, Fla.
Mar 13, 2017 |
W/L |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middlebury | 3-0 | 1 | 3/18 at No. 13 Wesleyan |
| 2 | Trinity | 3-0 | 3 | 3/14 vs. No. 10 Ithaca (in Nashville, Tenn.) |
| 3 | TCNJ | 3-0 | 4 | 3/15 vs. No. 16 Amherst |
| 4 | Gettysburg | 4-0 | 5 | 3/14 vs. Hamilton (in Port Charlotte, Fla.) |
| 5 | Brockport | 3-0 | 6 | 3/17 at St. Lawrence |
| 6 | St. John Fisher | 2-0 | 8 | 3/14 vs. Rochester |
| 7 | Catholic | 3-0 | 9 | 3/15 vs. No. 18 Cortland (in Sparks, Md.) |
| 8 | William Smith | 3-0 | 12 | 3/14 vs. No. 12 Bowdoin (in Englewood, Fla.) |
| 9 | Ithaca | 3-0 | 13 | 3/14 vs. No. 2 Trinity (in Nashville, Tenn.) |
| 10 | Washington and Lee | 4-1 | 8 | 3/15 vs. St. Mary’s |
| 11 | Franklin & Marshall | 2-1 | 14 | 3/15 vs. Fredonia (in Port Charlotte, Fla.) |
| 12 | Bowdoin | 2-0 | 15 | 3/14 vs. No. 8 William Smith (in Englewood, Fla.) |
| 13 | Wesleyan | 3-0 | 16 | 3/13 vs. Skidmore (in Englewood, Fla.) |
| 14 | York | 3-1 | 17 | 3/15 at Frostburg State |
| 15 | Salisbury | 4-2 | 19 | 3/18 at No. 17 Mary Washington |
| 16 | Amherst | 2-1 | NR | 3/15 at No. 3 TCNJ |
| 17 | Mary Washington | 5-2 | NR | 3/18 vs. No. 15 Salisbury |
| 18 | Cortland | 2-1 | 2 | 3/18 vs. No. 7 Catholic (in Sparks, Md.) |
| 19 | Tufts | 1-1 | 10 | 3/15 vs. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps |
| 20 | Colby | 1-2 | 18 | 3/18 at No. 19 Tufts |
Also Considered:Bates, Hamilton, Marymount, Messiah, Rhodes
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
William Smith (+4)
The Herons had a big week on the road. Wednesday they traveled to then-No. 7 Hamilton and shut down the Continentals with a 5-0 second-half run en route to an 8-4 victory. Alexandra Bird led the way with an impressive four goals and three assists to lift William Smith to its first win over Hamilton since 2006. The Herons then improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2009 with a 17-10 win at Nazareth. They’ll battle No. 12 Bowdoin in Englewood, Fla., Wednesday.
NOT
Cortland (-16)
The Red Dragons were ambushed at home by then-No. 14 Franklin and Marshall Saturday, surrendering the first six goals of a 12-2 defeat. Cortland battled the Diplomats to a near-standoff on draw controls, winning seven of 15, but Cortland committed 15 turnovers and got off only 14 shots in the loss. The Dragons meet No. 7 Catholic at Tierney Field at US Lacrosse Headquarters Wednesday.
NEW
Amherst
The purple and white re-entered after winning at Keene State, 16-3, and at home against Bates, 11-9. Amherst travels to No. 3 TCNJ Wednesday.
Mary Washington
The Eagles returned after road wins at Guilford, 14-3, and at Roanoke, 12-4, last week. They jump into Capital Athletic Conference play Saturday with a big home game against No. 15 Salisbury.
OUT
Hamilton
Tough week for the Continentals, who could not manage much offense after the early part of the second half in an eventual 8-4 home loss to then-No. 12 William Smith. They then surrendered a 7-5 lead over Wesleyan with about 12 minutes left Saturday at the Carrier Dome, falling 8-7. The road does not get easier in the short term at least: up next is No. 4 Gettysburg in Port Charlotte, Fla.
Messiah
The Falcons’ stay in the Top 20 lasted just a week, as they dropped a 9-5 game to then-No. 17 York at home.