Opening weekend was nothing short of exciting.
James Madison and Towson kicked off 2018 with a bang, each scoring an upset victory over a Top 5 team to soar into the Top 10 of the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women's Top 20.
Trailing by two with less than five minutes to play, Elena Romesburg and Kristen Gaudian, who led the Dukes with five goals each, each scored to force overtime. Gaudian then tallied the game-winning goal to lift James Madison to victory over No. 3 North Carolina in double overtime.
Despite a 4-0 run late in the second half for Penn State, Natalie Sulmonte carried Towson to a 14-13 victory over the No. 4 Nittany Lions with a team-high six points. The Tigers join the Top 20 for the first time this season.
Feb. 12, 2018 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland | 1-0 | 1 | 2/17 at Florida |
| 2 | Stony Brook | 0-0 | 2 | 2/16 at USC |
| 3 | Syracuse | 1-0 | 5 | 2/18 at Oregon |
| 4 | Florida | 1-0 | 6 | 2/17 vs. Maryland |
| 5 | USC | 1-0 | 8 | 2/16 vs. Stony Brook |
| 6 | Boston College | 1-0 | 9 | 2/13 vs. Holy Cross |
| 7 | Navy | 1-0 | 10 | 2/17 vs. Columbia |
| 8 | James Madison | 1-0 | 17 | 2/14 vs. Virginia Tech |
| 9 | Towson | 1-0 | NR | 2/17 vs. Georgetown |
| 10 | Princeton | 0-0 | 7 | 2/17 at Temple |
| 11 | North Carolina | 0-1 | 3 | 2/16 at High Point |
| 12 | Penn State | 0-1 | 4 | 2/17 at Lehigh |
| 13 | Northwestern | 2-0 | 11 | 2/15 vs. Colorado |
| 14 | Penn | 0-0 | 12 | 2/10 vs. Wagner |
| 15 | Virginia | 0-0 | 13 | 2/17 vs. Elon |
| 16 | Notre Dame | 0-1 | 14 | 2/17 at Jacksonville |
| 17 | Cornell | 0-0 | 15 | 2/17 vs. Villanova |
| 18 | Colorado | 1-1 | 16 | 2/15 at Northwestern |
| 19 | UMass | 0-0 | 18 | 2/17 vs. Dartmouth |
| 20 | Duke | 1-0 | 19 | 2/16 vs. Campbell |
Also considered: Albany, Denver, Johns Hopkins, Loyola, Ohio State, 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
James Madison (+9)
In the Dukes' season opener, they upset No. 3 North Carolina behind career-high five goals from both Kristen Gaudian and Elena Romesburg. The victory was the first against the Tar Heels since 2000.
NOT
North Carolina (-8)
Marie McCool led the Tar Heels with four goals, one assist and eight draw controls, but it wasn't enough to lead them to victory. The unexpected upset loss was a step back in its quest to return to the pedestal.
Penn State (-8)
Despite advancing to the final four the past two seasons, the Nittany Lions dropped the ball to start 2018. Madison Carter had six goals, but the team's late rally wasn't enough to overcome a six-goal halftime deficit.
IN
Towson
Towson entered 2018 as a borderline Top 20 team, but quickly proved its worth for inclusion. The Tigers posted their first win in nine all-time meetings against Penn State and it was the first victory over a top five team in program history. Sulmonte led the way with six points and four draw controls.
OUT
Virginia Tech
The Hokies program experienced a turnaround in John Sung's first year as head coach, but then had a rough start to 2018, not being able to go toe-to-toe with the Pac-12 favorite, USC, falling 11-5.