For the past few years, Albany women’s lacrosse has received votes to crack the Top 20 polls, but has yet to break in this season. The highest the Great Danes were ranked over the tenure of this year’s senior class was No. 17 in April 2014.

However, thanks to Dakotah Savitcheff’s two goals in the final 18 seconds of the game on Tuesday, Albany pulled off an upset bid over No. 8 Cornell, 11-10, to record the team’s first-ever victory over a Top 10 opponent. After falling to No. 4 Stony Brook by seven on April 2, the Cornell game marked Albany’s last chance to net a quality win with just one more Top 20 opponent on its regular season schedule.

While coach John Battaglino doesn’t look at the victory as the first-ever over a Top 10 team, but rather a win over a good Cornell team, he hopes his team’s resume received a boost for NCAA postseason consideration.

“People have seen us play in the past and know what we’re capable of,” Battaglino said. “The last win solidifies our presence. I think it’s a no-brainer right now.”

Albany is currently tied with UMBC for second place in the America East, behind conference leader Stony Brook, and according to LaxPower, is No. 16 in RPI and No. 18 in strength of schedule (SOS).

The NCAA tournament selection committee will look at RPI and SOS, but will need to determine whether the Cornell win will be enough to be considered for an at-large bid. The Great Danes will likely have another shot at the Seawolves in the America East tournament to battle for the automatic bid.

“When they’re on, they can not only play with, but they can beat anybody in the country,” Battaglino said of his team. “We don’t have the depth that a lot of these other teams have. Some of those [Top 20] teams are stacked with the best players in the country, so our margin for error is smaller. We have to do everything well.

“It feels good [to beat Cornell] and I think they realize what they’re capable of,” he added. “They now understand why I push.”

New Specialists in Town

In 2016, the top draw specialists in Division I were Kayla Treanor (Syracuse, 9.04 draw controls per game), Kaylin Morissette (Louisville, 8.56), Hannah Murphy (UMass, 6.91), Jessica Karwacki (Robert Morris, 6.29) and Taylor Cummings (Maryland, 6.26).

Yet all but one were seniors, making room for new players to emerge this season.

Murphy currently leads the nation with 9.31 draw controls per game, followed by Taylor VanThof (Loyola, 8.15), Morgan Widner (Syracuse, 8.13), Sammy Jo Tracy (North Carolina, 8.08) and Shelby Fredericks (7.92).

“Other teams know that we’re successful,” said UMass coach Angela McMahon. “Other teams know that when they’re going after Hannah, they’re throwing all sorts of techniques and tactics at her. Her ability to work through that and focus on herself … [and not let that] throw her off her game just shows what an elite level player she is.”

While the margin of difference between Treanor’s final mark in 2016 and Murphy’s current tally in 2017 is small, the stats are higher, meaning more draw controls are being taken.

That could be much in part due to the implementation of the 90-second possession clock. With a time limit on scoring, possession means everything. More goals mean more draw controls.  

“I’d say the draw is critical with the shot clock,” said McMahon. “Being able to look at the season as a whole and reflect upon it and really dissect those numbers will be interesting to see, but my guess would be that on the whole, you’re definitely seeing a couple more goals scored per game, which is increasing the amount of draws and just increasing, of course, the importance of the draw.”

Earlier in the season, Duke coach Kerstin Kimel said the possession clock might even potentially “force” coaches to approach recruiting differently in the future, putting a “premium on midfielders” who can run the field with quick change of possessions and obtaining possession off the draw.

ACC Showdown

No. 2 North Carolina vs. No. 11 Syracuse, Saturday, 12 p.m.

The marquee game of this weekend might just be the battle between the top two ACC teams, North Carolina and Syracuse. The two last met May 1, 2016, in the ACC championship – a 15-14 overtime win for the reigning national champion Tar Heels.

Syracuse is 4-1 in the ACC, but three of its four conference wins were decided by one goal and one of those one-goal wins came in overtime, 12-11 against Virginia Tech on Sunday.

The Orange will be looking for one more ACC win, but it won’t be easy. The Tar Heels are undefeated in the conference and are no stranger to one-goal games. North Carolina hasn’t recorded a one-goal game yet this season, but played in nine last year, three of which were wins in overtime.

Games To Watch

Here are some key games to keep an eye on this weekend (all times Eastern):

No. 5 Colorado at No. 10 USC, Friday, 8 p.m.

It’s a battle of MPSF unbeatens in their last season in the conference. Which team will prevail – the reigning MPSF champion, USC, or the Cinderella team of 2017, Colorado?

No. 8 Cornell at Dartmouth, Saturday, 3 p.m.

After dropping an 11-10 decision to unranked Albany, Cornell needs to rebound immediately to boost its NCAA postseason chances. The Big Red are currently tied with No. 7 Princeton for first place in the Ivy League.

No. 13 Northwestern vs. Duke, Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

After upsetting Boston College for its first ACC win, Duke needs to continue improving. A win over Northwestern could boost its postseason chances.

No. 12 Notre Dame vs. No. 20 Virginia Tech, Saturday, 12 p.m.

After earning its way back into the Top 20, Virginia Tech needs to bounce back from three straight losses. A win over Notre Dame would be a step in the right direction to lift them higher in the ACC standings.

No. 14 Virginia vs. No. 19 Louisville, Saturday, 1 p.m.

Louisville’s best win over a ranked opponent was against Virginia Tech on April 1, while Virginia’s was against Notre Dame on March 18. Both are 2-3 in the ACC, as are Boston College and Virginia Tech, and need wins to stay away from the bottom of the pack.