There's change at the top in this week's Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Women's Top 20, a defending national champion Gettysburg moves up one spot to No. 1 thanks to two more wins and then-No. 1 Middlebury's 10-6 loss at then-No. 5 TCNJ Tuesday.
The Bullets then punished the Lions for slaying the Panthers two days later, handing them a 9-5 setback in Ewing, N.J. Though Middlebury was knocked from the ranks of the unbeatens, it did rebound nicely in a busy week, winning at then-No. 4 Amherst, 11-9, Saturday to remain in early control of the NESCAC.
Salisbury and Geneseo also remained undefeated to ascend in the top 10, while Stevens toppled two top-12 squads impressively to make a splash debut at No. 13. Several ranked squads split wins and losses last week.
League play heats up this week; hopefully temperatures follow suit. No. 17 Franklin & Marshall has a chance to make Gettysburg's stay at No. 1 brief as the Centennial Conference rivals collide Wednesday.
April 2, 2018 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gettysburg | 8-0 | 2 | 4/4 No. 17 F&M |
| 2 | Salisbury | 11-0 | 3 | 4/4 Christopher Newport |
| 3 | Middlebury | 8-1 | 1 | 4/3 Union |
| 4 | TCNJ | 7-2 | 5 | 4/7 at Montclair State |
| 5 | Amherst | 7-1 | 4 | 4/4 No. 11 Wesleyan |
| 6 | Tufts | 7-1 | 6 | 4/4 Williams |
| 7 | Trinity | 7-2 | 8 | 4/4 at Connecticut College |
| 8 | Geneseo | 8-0 | 9 | 4/4 at Brockport |
| 9 | Mary Washington | 10-1 | 7 | 4/4 at Frostburg State |
| 10 | York | 5-3 | 10 | 4/4 Wesley |
| 11 | Wesleyan | 7-2 | 11 | 4/4 at No. 5 Amherst |
| 12 | Washington & Lee | 7-4 | 16 | 4/3 Lynchburg |
| 13 | Stevens | 7-2 | NR | 4/7 at Utica |
| 14 | St. John Fisher | 5-2 | 12 | 4/3 at Utica |
| 15 | Cortland | 6-4 | 13 | 4/7 at Fredonia |
| 16 | Ithaca | 6-3 | 18 | 4/6 at St. Lawrence |
| 17 | Franklin & Marshall | 7-3 | 14 | 4/4 at No. 1 Gettysburg |
| 18 | Claremont Mudd Scripps | 11-1 | 17 | 4/7 Occidental |
| 19 | Colby | 5-4 | 19 | 4/7 at No. 3 Middlebury |
| 20 | Haverford | 7-2 | NR | 4/4 at Muhlenberg |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Bowdoin, Capital, Catholic, Colorado College, Rowan, William Smith
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Washington & Lee (+4)
The Generals have won five straight since a 2-4 start, vanquishing two ranked foes, including then-No. 4 Tufts, and three league rivals. Challenged early by the tough slate, W&L has gotten on track by finding its offense — 16.6 goals per game during the streak.
NOT
Franklin & Marshall (-3)
A week after being hot, the Diplomats nearly exited the Top 20. On the heels of a 15-4 beating at then-No. 3 Salisbury Wednesday, F&M needed late goals by Paige Moriarty and Katie Groenke to survive Haverford, 8-7. The Dips hoisted the 2017 Centennial Conference trophy on their last visit to No. 1 Gettysburg, to which they travel Wednesday.
IN
Stevens
The Ducks had been lurking on the periphery recently, looking for signature wins to complement earlier losses to then-No. 5 Trinity March 6 and then-No. 9 Amherst March 15. They got them last week against two sets of ranked Cardinals to debut at No. 13. Stevens defeated No. 11 Wesleyan on the road, 10-9, and then-No. 12 St. John Fisher at home, 11-4. The Wesleyan game included nine ties and nine lead changes, and it wasn't secured until Stephanie Schnelzer's 11th save with just three ticks on the clock. Kyra Bednarski and Mackenzie Metzler scored hat tricks, and the former netted the game-winner with 2:14 left. The Ducks gained a small measure of revenge for a loss in last year's Empire 8 Conference championship game with the convincing win over Fisher.
Haverford
The Fords enter at No. 20 by giving then-No. 14 and league rival F&M everything it could handle in an 8-7 loss in Lancaster, leading the Diplomats as the clock ticked under six minutes. Haveford's only two losses come to ranked foes, and the Fords appear well-positioned in the Centennial Conference until an April 14 game at No. 1 Gettysburg. Rina Rosnow and Molly Lausten form a potent 1-2 punch, having tallied 27 goals apiece thus far.
OUT
Bowdoin, Washington College
The Polar Bears and Shorewomen depart following losses.