The Division III women’s lacrosse season finally is in full swing with each of the top 20 teams now having at least one game under their belts.
No. 3 Tufts, a team that could challenge for the top spot, opened with a 17-5 win over Connecticut College on Saturday, but the top 20 matchup between then-No. 8 Wesleyan and then-No. 11 Colby ended with the lower ranked team collecting a win and climbing. Two other upsets – with unranked Montclair State beating The College of New Jersey and then-No. 20 Cortland topping former No. 7 St. John Fisher – also created some movement.
Top-ranked Franklin & Marshall remained idle for a second straight week after COVID-19 protocols caused two games to be delayed, including a matchup with Muhlenberg that originally was scheduled for Saturday.
Nike/US Lacrosse
Division III Women’s Top 20
April 5, 2021 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Franklin & Marshall | 1-0 | 1 | 4/10 vs. McDaniel |
| 2 | Salisbury | 9-0 | 2 | 4/9 at Moravian |
| 3 | Tufts | 1-0 | 3 | 4/10 at No. 8 Colby |
| 4 | Washington and Lee | 8-0 | 4 | 4/7 at Roanoke |
| 5 | Gettysburg | 3-0 | 5 | 4/10 vs. Ursinus |
| 6 | York | 6-0 | 6 | 4/7 vs. No. 12 Messiah |
| 7 | Ithaca | 6-0 | 9 | 4/16 vs. Rochester |
| 8 | Colby | 1-0 | 11 | 4/10 vs. No. 3 Tufts |
| 9 | Catholic | 3-0 | 10 | 4/7 vs. Elizabethtown |
| 10 | Wesleyan | 0-1 | 8 | 4/10 vs. Hamilton |
| 11 | Denison | 6-0 | 13 | 4/10 at Kenyon |
| 12 | Messiah | 9-0 | 14 | 4/7 at No. 6 York |
| 13 | Geneseo | 2-0 | 15 | 4/7 at Oswego |
| 14 | Cortland | 4-1 | 20 | 4/7 at Oneonta |
| 15 | Trinity (Conn.) | 2-0 | 17 | 4/17 vs. Hamilton |
| 16 | St. John Fisher | 6-1 | 7 | 4/7 vs. Keuka |
| 17 | Mary Washington | 3-3 | NR | 4/7 vs. St. Mary's (Md.) |
| 18 | Montclair State | 2-0 | NR | 4/6 at Kean |
| 19 | John Carroll | 11-0 | 18 | 4/7 at Baldwin Wallace |
| 20 | Meredith | 6-1 | 19 | 4/7 vs. N.C. Wesleyan |
Also considered: Bates (1-0), Brockport (2-2), Christopher Newport (6-4), Lynchburg (5-3), Roanoke (4-1), St. Mary's (3-2), TCNJ (2-2), William Smith (2-3)
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Colby (+3)
The Mules opened with a strong win against then-No. 8 Wesleyan, topping the Cardinals 10-7 in a NESCAC matchup that boosted Colby up from the No. 11 spot. Colby went on a 4-1 run to end the first half, and that proved to be the difference. Gianna Bruno and Annie Eddy led the Mules with three goals each.
Colby faces another big test Saturday against Tufts.
Cortland (+6)
The Red Dragons have won four straight since opening with a loss to ranked Ithaca, and their win Wednesday against then-No. 7 St. John Fisher launched them up from the final spot in the rankings. Cortland goalkeeper Paige Potter matched her career high with 14 saves, including 11 in the second half, to preserve a 6-3 win against the Cardinals.
Hannah Keech led the offense with three goals.
NOT
Wesleyan (-2)
The Cardinals got off to a slow start with a 10-7 loss to Colby after some last-minute changes were made to the schedule, which originally had them facing Trinity (Conn.). Wesleyan dropped from the No. 8 spot in the rankings but weren’t punished too much for the loss to another ranked team.
Wesleyan plays a limited schedule, but a makeup game against Trinity (Conn.), still to be arranged, will be a good test.
St. John Fisher (-9)
Fisher’s first loss of the season was costly in terms of top 20 placement. Falling to then-No. 20 Cortland caused a big drop. Cortland held the Cardinals off the scoreboard for the final 21 minutes, scoring two unanswered goals to put the game away.
The Cardinals had won their first five games and bounced back from the loss with a convincing win over Russell Sage in Empire 8 play.
IN
Mary Washington (No. 17)
After an 0-3 start against ranked or once-ranked teams (including top 5 teams in Salisbury and Washington and Lee), Mary Washington is back on the rise with three straight wins. That included a victory March 27 against Christopher Newport and Tuesday’s win against Randolph-Macon. The Eagles missed a chance to keep building that momentum when Saturday’s game against Roanoke was postponed, but another test awaits with St. Mary’s (Md.) coming to campus Wednesday.
Montclair State (No. 18)
The Red Hawks are off to a 2-0 start and jump into the top 20 thanks to a marquee win over a formerly ranked team. Montclair State senior goalkeeper Allyn Lilien matched the school record for saves with 25 to help her team knock off The College of New Jersey 10-9. It was the Red Hawks’ first win over the Lions in program history, ending a 22-game skid against them.
TCNJ cut a 10-7 deficit down to one and had the ball late, but MSU forced a turnover and was able to run out the clock to seal the win. Amber Gonzalez led the offense with four goals.
OUT
St. Mary’s (No. 16)
A slow start against Christopher Newport on Wednesday led to the Seahawks’ second loss of the season and caused them to fall out of the top 20 for now. St. Mary’s fell behind 5-1 in the first half and couldn’t climb out of the hole, losing 9-6. The Seahawks get a quick chance to avenge the defeat when they face Christopher Newport in a rematch Monday.
St. Mary’s had dropped a close loss to No. 2 Salisbury earlier this season.
TCNJ (No. 12)
After barely escaping with a win at Kean on Tuesday, TCNJ dropped a narrow loss to unranked Montclair State on Saturday and now has something to prove. The Lions, who lost to Salisbury earlier this season, survived the overtime game against Kean, thanks to Erin Jaffe’s winner 43 seconds into the extra period for the 9-8 victory. TCNJ’s rally attempt at Montclair fell short, and the Lions won’t get back on the field again until Saturday against Rowan.