It was a great weekend for lacrosse teams from America's heartland.
On Saturday, Michigan continued to prove its worth with a 16-11 victory over No. 15 Johns Hopkins behind a career-best six goals from sophomore Caitlin Muir. The victory improved the Wolverines to 13-0 for the season and moved them from No. 9 in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women's Rankings up to No. 7.
On Sunday, Northwestern and Notre Dame both made impressive statements.
Northwestern star Selena Lasota scored just 19 seconds in the Wildcats game against Penn, setting the tone for a 17-13 win over the then No. 5 Quakers. Northwestern poured in 13 first half goals in the victory and Lasota finished the game with six goals.
Notre Dame showed its early-season success is no fluke, beating North Carolina for the first time in program history. Samantha Giacolone made a season-high 14 saves and Samantha Lynch scored four goals in the 9-7 victory that moved the Fighting Irish up to No. 4 in this week's poll.
And let's not forget about Syracuse, which pulled out another clutch victory to improve to 12-2 for the season. The Orange have won six straight games and four one-goal games this season after beating Duke 15-14 on Saturday. The Duke win was Syracuse's third one-goal win during the current six-game winning streak.
Nike/US Lacrosse
Division I Women’s Top 20
April 1, 2019 |
W/L |
Prev |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston College | 12-0 | 1 | 4/3 vs. No. 4 Notre Dame |
| 2 | Maryland | 12-0 | 2 | 4/3 at No. 8 Virginia |
| 3 | Syracuse | 12-2 | 4 | 4/3 vs. Virginia Tech |
| 4 | Notre Dame | 10-1 | 6 | 4/3 at No. 1 Boston College |
| 5 | North Carolina | 9-3 | 3 | 4/6 at Louisville |
| 6 | Northwestern | 8-3 | 8 | 4/6 at No. 15 Johns Hopkins |
| 7 | Michigan | 13-0 | 9 | 4/6 at No. 2 Maryland |
| 8 | Virginia | 9-4 | 7 | 4/3 vs. No. 2 Maryland |
| 9 | Penn | 8-2 | 5 | 4/6 at Brown |
| 10 | Loyola | 8-3 | 10 | 4/6 vs. No. 13 Navy |
| 11 | James Madison | 8-3 | 11 | 4/5 at Delaware |
| 12 | USC | 12-1 | 12 | 4/5 vs. Colorado |
| 13 | Navy | 9-2 | 13 | 4/6 at No. 10 Loyola |
| 14 | Duke | 8-4 | 14 | 4/6 at No. 1 Boston College |
| 15 | Johns Hopkins | 8-3 | 15 | 4/2 at Towson |
| 16 | Princeton | 5-3 | 16 | 4/2 vs. Villanova |
| 17 | Florida | 6-6 | 17 | 4/6 vs. Vanderbilt |
| 18 | Denver | 9-2 | 18 | 4/6 at Georgetown |
| 19 | Stony Brook | 5-4 | 19 | 4/3 vs. Hartford |
| 20 | Dartmouth | 6-3 | NR | 4/2 vs. Connecticut |
Also considered: Colorado, Georgetown, High Point, Hofstra, Stanford, Virginia Tech
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Michigan (+2)
Michigan's 13-0 record has drawn some detractors because the Wolverines strength of schedule doesn't match up to some of the nation's top teams. But the Wolverines have answered every challenge thrown their way, most recently Saturday's 16-11 win over No. 15 Johns Hopkins. Michigan owns five other wins over teams that have been ranked in the Top 20 at some point this season — Colorado, Dartmouth, Denver, Penn State and Towson.
The stakes get raised this weekend as Michigan head to College Park to face No. 2 Maryland in a game that will match two of the nation's final three unbeaten teams provided the Terps get by No. 8 Virginia on Wednesday.
Notre Dame (+2)
Notre Dame opened the season with seven straight wins over unranked opponents, but the Irish are a mystery no more. Over the last two weeks, Notre Dame has beaten Virginia and North Carolina and played Syracuse to within a goal.
They get little time to celebrate the historic win over North Carolina, however. A trip to No. 1 Boston College looms on Wednesday.
Northwestern (+2)
Northwestern has won four straight games after picking up its biggest win of the season, a 17-13 victory over Penn. That was the start of a very challenging portion of the schedule for the Wildcats. After playing at Johns Hopkins this weekend, the Wildcats have three straight Top 10 matchups ahead — Maryland, Michigan and Notre Dame.
NOT
Penn (-4)
Penn has been living dangerously most of the season — one-goal wins over Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, Duke and Cornell — but its only loss had come against No. 2 Maryland. The Quakers usually stout defense gave up 13 goals to Northwestern in the first half alone in Sunday's 17-13 loss that pushed Penn down four spots in the standings.
North Carolina (-2)
North Carolina bounced back from last weekend's loss to Boston College with a dominating 19-5 midweek win over a solid Virginia Tech team, but couldn't carry over the momentum against Notre Dame.
The Tar Heels scored a season-low seven goals and had only three goals through 43 minutes of action. Carolina went 0-for-5 on free position shots in the loss.
IN
Dartmouth
After starting the season 1-3, Dartmouth has reeled off five straight wins to move into the Top 20. Dartmouth has the nation's No. 9 scoring offense (15.6 goals per game) and has averaged over 17 goals per game during its current winning streak.
OUT
Colorado
Colorado fell to 5-5 with a 9-7 loss to state rival Denver on Tuesday. Colorado is averaging 16.8 goals per game in its five victories, but just 6.4 goals per game in its five losses.
The Buffs get a chance for a statement with a game at USC on Friday.