The true scope of the Nike / US Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20 is starting to take shape.
There’s North Carolina as the clear No. 1 — reinforced by the Tar Heels’ 17-6 thumping of then-No. 2 Syracuse on Saturday — and then there’s Northwestern, a team that looks every bit the national contender. The problem with Northwestern is that we don’t know how Kelly Amonte Hiller’s group stacks up against the ACC, though that’s no fault of its own. The Big Ten’s conference-only schedule has allowed Northwestern to simply beat up on its conference foes.
Then there’s the next tier, which seemingly includes Nos. 3-6 — Syracuse, Notre Dame, Boston College and Stony Brook, respectively. The first three teams in that order have the experience against ranked competition, while Stony Brook hasn’t played a ranked game since a 10-8 win over Towson on March 7.
Nos. 7-9 — Virginia, Duke and Maryland — seem to represent another tier, while everything else beyond that is up for consideration every week.
And that’s why the 2021 spring season has been such a joyride.
Nike / US Lacrosse
Division I Women’s Top 20
April 5, 2021 |
W/L |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Carolina | 11-0 | 1 | 4/10 at No. 4 Notre Dame |
| 2 | Northwestern | 9-0 | 3 | 4/10 at Ohio State |
| 3 | Syracuse | 6-1 | 2 | 4/6 at Georgetown |
| 4 | Notre Dame | 6-2 | 4 | 4/10 at No. 1 North Carolina |
| 5 | Boston College | 8-1 | 6 | 4/10 at Virginia Tech |
| 6 | Stony Brook | 9-2 | 5 | 4/11 at New Hampshire |
| 7 | Virginia | 8-3 | 7 | 4/10 at No. 3 Syracuse |
| 8 | Duke | 6-5 | 8 | 4/8 at No. 18 Louisville |
| 9 | Maryland | 5-3 | 9 | 4/8 vs. Rutgers |
| 10 | Jacksonville | 6-0 | 10 | 4/16 at Furman |
| 11 | Florida | 9-2 | 11 | 4/16 vs. Vanderbilt |
| 12 | Michigan | 3-4 | 12 | 4/16 vs. Ohio State |
| 13 | Loyola | 7-2 | 13 | 4/10 at American |
| 14 | Richmond | 6-1 | 14 | 4/16 at VCU |
| 15 | Drexel | 8-1 | 15 | 4/7 at No. 20 Navy |
| 16 | Stanford | 6-0 | 16 | 4/9 vs. Colorado |
| 17 | Towson | 7-2 | 18 | 4/10 vs. William and Mary |
| 18 | Louisville | 5-6 | 19 | 4/8 vs. No. 8 Duke |
| 19 | Penn State | 3-5 | 20 | 4/7 at Johns Hopkins |
| 20 | Navy | 4-1 | 17 | 4/7 vs. No. 15 Drexel |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Colorado, Denver, Elon, James Madison, Ohio State, Rutgers, Temple, Vanderbilt
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Northwestern (+1)
After seeing North Carolina dismantle Syracuse, an offense missing its brightest star, it is truly hard to argue against Northwestern moving up one spot to No. 2. The Wildcats might be the only offense in the nation that can keep up with North Carolina, but that matchup will have to wait for the NCAA tournament because of conference-only scheduling in the Big Ten.
Northwestern was off this weekend after its matchup with Michigan was postponed, so Izzy Scane and Co. will be well-rested ahead of a contest against a seemingly improved Ohio State team on Saturday.
Boston College (+1)
The Eagles only narrowly got past Duke in a seesaw affair, but even while the Boston College defense struggled at times, the offense is so fluid and so deep that it can make up for defensive lapses. And that is why the Eagles climb over Stony Brook and enter the top five this week, as the Eagles continue to prove they are battle-tested against some of the top teams in the nation.
We have also learned in recent weeks that Charlotte North is not the only name in town. Jenn Medjid can be a force when defenses hone in on North, and Cara Urbank is as fierce a competitor there is on the field. With Belle Smith also coming into her own, the BC is offense is downright scary.
North Carolina (no change)
We never really talk about North Carolina in this space, as the Tar Heels have been No. 1 since the preseason with little reason to question it. A loss to Syracuse would have certainly resulted in a new top team, but UNC handled the Orange with ease after Syracuse got out to a 4-1 lead early on. With a defense that is unbreakable, a goalie that is unshakeable and an offense that is unstoppable, the Tar Heels are clearly the best team in the country.
NOT
Syracuse (-1)
It is hard to fault any team — even the No. 2 team — for losing to the No. 1. But Syracuse was completely outplayed in a 17-6 loss. We noted it in the Gameday Guide heading into the week: The Orange have the offensive depth but not the star power after losing Emily Hawryschuk for the year. While the offense was scuffling in prolonged spurts on Saturday, Hawryschuk certainly would have made a difference.
There is still very little reason to doubt that Syracuse is one of the most talented teams around. Just maybe the Orange are not in the same league as North Carolina — and maybe even Northwestern.
Navy (-3)
In the first real test of the spring for the Mids, Loyola made the short trip to Annapolis and handled business. Navy lost 14-6, and although both teams took 22 shots, the Mids just did not have the offensive efficiency to keep up with a Loyola team that has recovered nicely from an 0-2 start to the season.
Navy gets another test in on Wednesday in Drexel, the sixth-ranked scoring offense in the country.