W&L Continues Surge in Nike/USA Lacrosse Division III Women's Top 20

Washington and Lee continues its climb up the Nike/USA Lacrosse Division III Women’s Top 20 with a fast start that now includes a win over former No. 4 Salisbury.

The Generals move just outside the top 5 after that 6-5 win, which followed an impressive opening victory over Franklin & Marshall. With the narrow defeat, Salisbury dropped just one spot in the rankings.

Among the other notable results this past week, Messiah upset No. 5 Gettysburg to make a big leap to No. 9, while the Bullets fell to the No. 10 spot. Former No. 16 Catholic suffered a second-straight loss to a top 10 opponent but wasn’t punished to the point of exiting the rankings.

One game involving a ranked team was postponed because of inclement weather over the weekend, as Cortland’s scheduled opener at Utica was pushed back to March 28. Most of the other teams that have not yet begun the season get underway this week, including defending national champion Middlebury opening Saturday at Bowdoin.

NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION III WOMEN’S TOP 20

Also considered (alphabetical order): Amherst, Christopher Newport, Hamilton, Kenyon, Mary Washington, Pomona-Pitzer, Roger Williams, St. John Fisher, Trinity (Conn.)

Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings

Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women

HOT

Washington and Lee (+2)

The Generals could be deserving of an even bigger jump, but with the top three teams still awaiting the start of their season, it seemed too early to move Middlebury, Tufts or TCNJ down. So, for now, W&L sits at No. 4. While the Generals’ win over Salisbury wasn’t as comfortable as the one against Franklin & Marshall a week prior, it was impressive nonetheless. The defense stepped up to shut out Salisbury in the second half, and Washington & Lee climbed its way out of a 4-0 deficit suffered in the first five minutes.

Allie Schwab tied it with her second goal of the game in the third quarter, and Walker McKnight netted the game-winner with 1:56 left. Eugenie Rovegno had three ground balls and three caused turnovers to lead the defense, while Caroline Kranich made seven saves.

The Generals added an 11-8 win over Christopher Newport, another team in the mix for future consideration in the rankings.

William Smith (+3)

The Herons moved up to No. 6 after beating former No. 16 Catholic 14-9. They built a six-goal lead over the first three quarters and were able to hold on despite allowing four goals in the final stanza. Senior Maddie Montgomery led William Smith with six points on two goals and four assists and added a team-high five draw controls, while classmate Kaitlin Pellechia contributed five points on a career-high four goals and one assist. Sophomore goalkeeper Maura Smeader posted a career-high 11 saves.

NOT

Catholic (-3)

The Cardinals slid to No. 19 after the loss to William Smith dropped them to 0-2, but with both losses being five-goal decisions against top 10 opponents, they remain ranked for now. Against William Smith, Kate Olsen led with three goals and Caroline Beckett added three assists. Lauren Davidson made seven saves in just under 50 minutes of work in goal but was replaced by Laura Sullivan, who made three saves in the final 10 minutes but couldn’t get one more stop needed to extend the game.

Gettysburg (-5)

The Bullets’ 10-6 loss to unranked Messiah on Wednesday cost them a big drop, though they bounced back with a 14-1 win over Denison. Gettysburg fell behind 4-0 in the first quarter against Messiah, and that proved to be the difference. The Bullets responded with the first 14 goals against Denison on Saturday before the Big Red’s Carly LaPierre ended the shutout with 2:10 left.

IN

Messiah (No. 9)

The Falcons had been a team on our radar, but the opening double-overtime win against Scranton created some pause. They bounced back from that battle in a big way to stun Gettysburg and now cannot be overlooked.

Messiah opened the first period with a barrage of goals for a 4-0 lead and remained in command the rest of the game. Ehryn Groothoff led the team with three goals, while Hayley Lettinga and Rachel Delate added two goals apiece. Grace Gormley dominated on defense with four ground balls, four caused turnovers and nine draw controls. Mackenzie O’Haver allowed two goals and made four saves to get the win in goal, splitting time equally with Grace Hejeebu, who allowed four goals but had seven saves.

The win was Messiah’s first ever against Gettysburg, which had won the previous 18 meetings. The Falcons face another tough challenge Wednesday against Franklin & Marshall.

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