For the first time this season, the top seven teams in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20 remain the same as the week prior. And other than a small shakeup from Nos. 8-10, the entire top 12 is the same.
But that’s when things get a little interesting.
Three new teams join the fray for the second straight week, as UConn’s big win over UMass and Elon’s historic win over James Madison created opportunities for some new teams to join the fun.
The Big Ten’s conference-only schedule will also continue to be a thorn in the side of rankings-makers, as it again influenced a handful of decisions toward the bottom of the Top 20.
Nike / US Lacrosse
Division I Women’s Top 20
March 8, 2021 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina | 6-0 | 1 | 3/11 at No. 15 Virginia Tech |
| 2 | Syracuse | 3-0 | 2 | 3/11 vs. No. 3 Notre Dame |
| 3 | Notre Dame | 2-0 | 3 | 3/11 at No. 2 Syracuse |
| 4 | Northwestern | 3-0 | 4 | 3/11 vs. No. 8 Penn State |
| 5 | Virginia | 4-0 | 5 | 3/10 vs. George Mason |
| 6 | Florida | 3-1 | 6 | 3/13 at Jacksonville |
| 7 | Stony Brook | 4-2 | 7 | 3/14 vs. UMass Lowell |
| 8 | Penn State | 2-0 | 9 | 3/11 at No. 4 Northwestern |
| 9 | Maryland | 2-1 | 10 | 3/12 at Johns Hopkins |
| 10 | Duke | 4-2 | 8 | 3/11 vs. High Point |
| 11 | Boston College | 3-1 | 11 | 3/13 vs. No. 5 Virginia |
| 12 | Richmond | 3-1 | 12 | 3/14 at Old Dominion |
| 13 | Towson | 4-1 | 14 | 3/10 at Temple |
| 14 | Loyola | 2-2 | 15 | 3/10 vs. Georgetown |
| 15 | Virginia Tech | 2-2 | 17 | 3/11 vs. No. 1 North Carolina |
| 16 | USC | 2-2 | 19 | 3/12 at Cal |
| 17 | Navy | 3-0 | NR | 3/13 vs. No. 14 Loyola |
| 18 | Louisville | 2-2 | 20 | 3/12 at Central Michigan |
| 19 | Hofstra | 2-0 | NR | 3/9 at Albany |
| 20 | Michigan | 2-3 | NR | 3/19 at No. 8 Penn State |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Colorado (1-2), Denver (1-1), Drexel (5-0), Elon (2-0), James Madison (2-1), Jacksonville (2-0), Johns Hopkins (2-3), Stanford (1-0), UConn (4-1)
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Syracuse (no change)
Syracuse is scorching hot, even with the unfortunate news that Emily Hawryschuk will miss the remainder of 2021 with an ACL tear. All the Orange have done in two games without her is outscore a pair of top-10 opponents (Stony Brook and Duke) by a count of 31-11.
The offense, at least for now, appears to be just fine without the Tewaaraton Award candidate, with freshman Emma Ward blossoming into a future star. The defense, which finished tops in the nation in 2020, is allowing just six goals per game this year.
Syracuse is headed for Championship Weekend.
NOT
Duke (-2)
Duke was on the wrong end of a 15-5 blowout against Syracuse, and while losing to the No. 2 team in the country is usually excusable, it’s the manner in which the Blue Devils lost that causes this two-spot drop.
This game was out of hand quickly, as Syracuse went up on its ACC rival 10-1 at halftime and bumped the lead to 12-2 just over four minutes into the second half.
Duke is still a very good offensive team, but it will have to play better defensively.
IN
Navy (No. 17)
The Mids haven’t really been tested yet, with games George Mason, Mount St. Mary’s and George Washington resulting in three wins by a combined score of 42-14. Navy hosts Loyola on Saturday in what’s certainly a much better matchup now than we would have thought in the preseason.
Nicole Victory, Ellie Lecker and Marina Lazarides have been a strong offensive trio thus far, giving credence to the fact that Navy belongs in the Top 20 for now.
Hofstra (No. 19)
The Pride join the Top 20 despite being inactive due to health and safety protocols. Hofstra has UConn to thank, as the Huskies’ defeat of UMass (which was No. 16) suddenly makes Hofstra’s resume look more impressive. The Pride topped UConn 17-11 on Feb. 20.
Michigan (No. 20)
Michigan rejoins the Top 20 after a brief hiatus. The Wolverines looked good this weekend in two wins over Rutgers, which entered play ranked No. 18. The Big Ten — outside of Northwestern — looks to be a toss-up at this point, but Michigan put itself back in the picture.
OUT
James Madison (was No. 13)
In a surprisingly low-scoring affair, the Dukes dropped a game to CAA rival Elon for the first time ever. Molly Dougherty kept it close by making 14 saves, but James Madison didn’t look anything like the team that recently won an NCAA title. The Dukes are out for the time being.
UMass (was No. 16)
You can write off UMass’ loss to Boston College as just an unfortunate result against a superior offense, but it’s now clear that the Minutewomen have some defensive woes to iron out after a 12-11 overtime loss to UConn in which Sydney Watson scored six goals.
Rutgers (was No. 18)
In yet another example of craziness in the Big Ten, Rutgers dropped both ends of its weekend doubleheader to Michigan, which entered without a win. Cassidy Spilis is an emerging talent, and Rutgers is on the upswing, but the Scarlet Knights fall out of the Top 20 for now.