The 2020 lacrosse season ended abruptly, and it’s anyone’s guess exactly when the 2021 season will begin. But there’s been plenty of movement in the offseason.

While it’s probably a greater challenge to forecast the upcoming season than in most years, US Lacrosse Magazine will give it a try.

Up today: Nos. 20-16.

Early 2021 Rankings

Division I Men
No. 25 - No. 21
No. 20 - No. 16
No. 15 - No. 11
No. 10 - No. 6
No. 5 - No. 1

Division I Women
No. 25 - No. 21
No. 20 - No. 16
No. 15 - No. 11
No. 10 - No. 6
No. 5 - No. 1

20. VIRGINIA TECH

2020 record: 7-3

Last seen: An 8-4 halftime deficit resulted in an uncharacteristic 13-11 loss to Brown.

Initial forecast: This was a team on the cusp of breaking into the top 20 for most — if not, all — of 2020. Angie Benson solidified the cage after a two-season hiatus from college lacrosse, and Paige Petty (38 goals, five assists) continued her dominance as one of the most unheralded stars in the nation. Freshman Kayla Frank was a welcome surprise, leading the team in points with 45. The Hokies return their top six scorers and four starting defenders in Jordan Tilley, Leigh Lingo, Kendall Welch and Elena Ricci. Coach John Sung’s crew looks ready to make a jump.

19. UMASS

2020 record: 4-1

Last seen: Ending 2020 on a three-game winning streak with wins over UMass Lowell, Ohio State and UConn.

Initial forecast: Do the Minutewomen have staying power, or were they a flash in the pan? UMass was the talk of lacrosse after its first game, a 15-11 win over a very different Boston College team, but still one that had appeared in the previous three national championship games. Kaitlyn Cerasi, Haley Connaughton, Stephanie Croke and Emma Dotsikas were a four-headed monster for opposing defenses, and all four are back for 2021. Overall, many contributors — including graduate goalkeeper Lauren Hiller, who made 46 saves in five games — are back to prove the Minutewomen belong in the top 20 for a full season.

18. VIRGINIA

2020 record: 5-3

Last seen: Falling 16-10 to an upstart Duke team in Durham.

Initial forecast: An incoming class headlined by Morgan Schwab, an attacker from Fairport (N.Y.), is nice to see for head coach Julie Myers, but the transfer of program staple Sammy Mueller to Northwestern could be difficult to overcome. The Cavaliers do return some firepower. Courtlynne Caskin (16 goals), Ashlyn McGovern (15 goals) and Lillie Kloak (14 goals) are back for an offense that assisted just 29 of 103 goals last season. That 3.63 assists per game mark ranked 98^th nationally. Two starting defenders — Anna Hauser and Lauren Martin — will not return in front of redshirt-senior goalkeeper Charlie Campbell.

17. BOSTON COLLEGE

2020 record: 4-3

Last seen: A 20-10 win over Hofstra featuring an explosive 13-goal first half.

Initial forecast: The shortened 2020 season certainly didn’t feature the Boston College program that we had become accustomed to from 2017-19. Of course, it was the first season after the “Big Three” era, so some growing pains were to be expected. Oregon transfer Rachel Hall wasn’t as lights out in the cage as expected, though she still showed positive signs during a season in which she saved 45.8 percent of shots on goal. Charlotte North was perhaps even better than expected in her first season in Newton, and sophomore attack Jenn Medjid stepped into a larger role by pouring in 20 goals. Boston College’s scoring margin of 1.29 goals per game ranked 47th in the nation — tied with Hofstra — exemplifying the new identity of its offense after the era of Sam Apuzzo, Dempsey Arsenault and Kenzie Kent.

16. DUKE

2020 record: 6-3

Last seen: A 16-6 throttling of East Carolina in which four players scored multiple goals and Maddie Jenner won 12 draws.

Initial forecast: Maddie Jenner is no longer an emerging force on the draw. She’s a national powerhouse inside the circle, finishing second in the country last season with 10.67 draw controls per game. Her 96 draws won ranked first. With her ability to get the ball to an exciting young offense that now features graduate transfer Gabby Rosenzweig from Penn, the sky is the limit for the Blue Devils. Because scoring won’t be a problem, the onus falls on the defense to make stops. Chase Henriquez saw the bulk of the minutes in goal last season, but her five starts were just one more than Sophia LeRose’s four. Henriquez allowed just 9.13 goals per game and saved .505 percent of shots faced, so she could be the full-time answer in 2021.