West Chester Tops Nike/USA Lacrosse D-II Women's Top 20 for 4th Straight Week
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© 2024 USA Lacrosse. All Rights Reserved.
After a slew of upsets earlier this month yielded significant reshuffling in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Division II Women’s Top 20, stability returned this week as ranked teams enjoyed their strongest week of the spring. Combined, our Top 20 teams posted a 26-2 record last week, with both of the losses coming in matchups that involved two ranked teams.
West Chester retains its hold on the top spot for the fourth straight week, solidified by an impressive 16-5 victory over No. 10 East Stroudsburg. The Golden Rams are one of five remaining undefeated teams in Division II, with all five teams among our Top 20.
Plenty of great games dot this week’s schedule, highlighted by No. 11 Adelphi at No. 5 Pace, No. 4 Florida Southern against No. 7 Lynn and No. 1 West Chester facing No. 3 UIndy in a neutral site meeting.
March 27, 2023 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
West Chester |
8-0 |
1 |
3/29 at Kutztown |
|
2 |
Regis |
7-0 |
2 |
3/31 at CSU Pueblo |
|
3 |
UIndy |
10-1 |
3 |
4/1 vs. No. 1 West Chester |
|
4 |
Florida Southern |
9-1 |
5 |
4/1 vs. No. 7 Lynn |
|
5 |
Pace |
6-1 |
6 |
3/29 vs. No. 11 Adelphi |
|
6 |
Rollins |
10-0 |
4 |
4/1 vs. Palm Beach Atlantic |
|
7 |
Lynn |
9-1 |
9 |
4/1 at No. 4 Florida Southern |
|
8 |
Tampa |
9-2 |
10 |
3/31 at St. Leo |
|
9 |
Maryville |
11-0 |
12 |
3/31 vs. McKendree |
|
10 |
East Stroudsburg |
6-2 |
8 |
3/29 vs. Bloomsburg |
|
11 |
Adelphi |
5-2 |
11 |
3/29 at No. 5 Pace |
|
12 |
Le Moyne |
5-2 |
7 |
3/29 at New Haven |
|
13 |
Embry-Riddle |
8-1 |
13 |
3/29 vs. Montevallo |
|
14 |
Flagler |
9-1 |
14 |
3/29 at No. 7 Lynn |
|
15 |
Wingate |
9-2 |
15 |
3/29 at Lenoir-Rhyne |
|
16 |
Bentley |
6-1 |
16 |
3/29 vs. No. 18 Mercy |
|
17 |
Grand Valley State |
5-4 |
17 |
3/28 at Davenport |
|
18 |
Mercy |
4-4 |
18 |
3/29 at No. 16 Bentley |
|
19 |
Saint Leo |
8-2 |
19 |
3/31 vs. No. 8 Tampa |
|
20 |
Saint Anselm |
7-0 |
20 |
3/29 vs. S. New Hampshire |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Assumption, Kutztown, Limestone, Seton Hill
Maryville (+3)
The Saints continue their climb, moving into the top 10 for the first time in program history after extending their season-opening winning streak. Maryville’s 11 wins currently lead the nation, with the latest victory coming Saturday, 17-10, at Rockhurst. A pair of graduate students enjoyed career days, with Lexi Taylor recording a career-high four goals and Jessie Hynes adding three goals and a school record four assists.
Pace (+1)
No team has a stronger resume at this point than Pace, which owns top-10 victories over East Stroudsburg, Tampa and Le Moyne. The latest win came Saturday, a 16-5 dismantling of then No. 7 Le Moyne, the first-ever win for Pace in the series against its NE10 rival. The Setters jumped out to a 9-1 lead in this game and never looked back, as they improved to 3-0 in league play. A victory over No. 11 Adelphi this week will clearly establish Pace as the favorite for the regular season league title.
Le Moyne (-5)
In the loss at Pace, the Dolphins suffered their most lopsided loss since becoming a Division II program in 2011. After starting the season 4-0 against non-conference opponents, Le Moyne has now lost two of three against stiffer competition in West Chester and Pace. The Dolphins face only NE10 opponents the rest of the way, with a chance to regain some momentum starting with a visit to New Haven on Wednesday.
East Stroudsburg (-2)
It’s not surprising that ESU lost at its PSAC rival West Chester last week, but the 11-goal margin of defeat was somewhat unexpected given how equally matched these teams have been in recent seasons. Six of the previous seven matchups between the powerhouse programs had been decided by four goals or less, including last year’s overtime thriller in the NCAA tournament’s Atlantic Region final. With a bit of a respite in the upcoming schedule, the Warriors could be riding a new winning streak by the time they welcome West Chester in a rematch on April 19.
Paul Ohanian has worked at USA Lacrosse since 2006 and is currently the senior manager of program content. Prior to joining USA Lacrosse, he served as SID at a Division III school with a strong lacrosse tradition and learned to appreciate the commitment and passion that athletes at all levels bring to the game.
