The defending champions have fallen — at least for now. Merrimack, the most dominant team over the past two seasons in Division II, lost its first game over the weekend. It came in a thriller against LIU Post, where Merrimack came back from down four goals to take a late lead, only to see William Snelders tie the game with 13 seconds left and win it in overtime.
The 17-16 victory was a big one for the Pioneers, who are headed to Division I play later this year. Merrimack, as well, will join the Northeast Conference by the end of this year, but won’t fully reclassify until 2023.
Queens (N.C.) pulled the other notable upset in the rankings., taking down Belmont Abbey 14-8 on the road. Also worth noting, Rockhurst makes an appearance in the top 20 after another promising start.
March 11, 2019 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adelphi | 4-0 | 2 | 3/13 vs. Molloy |
| 2 | Limestone | 6-0 | 3 | 3/11 vs. No. 18 Rockhurst |
| 3 | Mercy | 7-0 | 5 | 3/16 vs. Roberts Wesleyan |
| 4 | Le Moyne | 4-1 | 6 | 3/13 vs. Bentley |
| 5 | Pace | 3-0 | 8 | 3/13 vs. NYIT |
| 6 | LIU Post | 3-1 | 9 | 3/13 at Saint Thomas Aquinas |
| 7 | Merrimack | 2-1 | 1 | 3/16 at Saint Rose |
| 8 | Indianapolis | 5-0 | 7 | 3/14 at No. 9 Belmont Abbey |
| 9 | Belmont Abbey | 6-1 | 4 | 3/14 vs. No. 8 Indianapolis |
| 10 | Seton Hill | 4-2 | 10 | 3/16 vs. No. 2 Limestone |
| 11 | Lynn | 3-1 | 11 | 3/16 vs. Florida Southern |
| 12 | Queens (N.C.) | 5-1 | 18 | 3/16 vs. Lincoln Memorial |
| 13 | Mount Olive | 6-1 | 12 | 3/16 vs. North Greenville |
| 14 | Lindenwood | 6-1 | 13 | 3/16 vs. Saint Leo |
| 15 | Saint Anselm | 0-1 | 14 | 3/16 vs. No. 1 Adelphi |
| 16 | Mercyhurst | 2-2 | 15 | 3/16 vs. Chestnut Hill |
| 17 | Wingate | 5-1 | 17 | 3/16 vs. Mars Hill |
| 18 | Rockhurst | 4-1 | N/A | 3/13 vs. Shorter (Ga.) |
| 19 | Colorado Mesa | 3-2 | 20 | 3/13 vs. Rollins |
| 20 | Tampa | 3-4 | 16 | 3/16 vs. Westminster |
Also Considered: Assumption, Bentley, Florida Southern, Florida Tech, Lake Erie, Lenoir-Rhyne, NYIT, Palm Beach Atlantic, Rollins, Saint Leo
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Queens (N.C.) (+6)
The only blemish on the schedule for Queens is a one-goal loss to No. 2 Limestone, which is the best case scenario for a setback. Now with a six-goal win over then-No. 4 Belmont Abbey — in addition to a victory over Mount Olive earlier this season — this team is worthy of the No. 12 spot in this week’s rankings. It doesn’t play another ranked team until the last game of the regular season.
LIU Post (+3)
The Pioneers responded from the loss to Pace with arguably the result of the season — a 17-16 overtime victory over No. 1 Merrimack. LIU Post also owns a win over Saint Anselm this season.
NOT
Merrimack (-6)
It was a tight battle with LIU Post, but the defending champions slide to No. 7 this week after falling victim to William Snelders. A matchup with Le Moyne awaits on March 23, with a road trip to Saint Rose sandwiched in between.
Tampa (-4)
Losers of three of their past four games, the Spartans are in jeopardy of falling out of the rankings altogether. An early-season victory over Florida Southern may have given Tampa the edge for now. Belmont Abbey, Adelphi, Assumption and Lindenwood have now taken down Tampa.
NEW
Rockhurst
Emerging from a group with little separation, Rockhurst is 4-1 with the lone loss coming in overtime to Belmont Abbey. A matchup with Limestone is a huge test today, but Rockhurst is deserving of a spot in the rankings for this week.
OUT
Florida Southern
The Mocs drop out of this week’s rankings after two losses last week. They fell in overtime to Wingate on Wednesday and lost at Mount Olive 12-8 on Saturday. Florida Southern will welcome Lynn coming up this weekend.