There seems to be a changing of the guard in the South Region, and specifically, in the Sunshine State Conference (SSC), and that new balance of power is reflected in this week’s Nike/USA Lacrosse Division II Women’s Top 20.

For the fifth straight week, Queens (15-0) sits at the top and is now one of just three undefeated teams in the country. In recent years, the Royals have emerged as one of the D-II giants, and they emphasized that point this past week with a 24-2 dismantling of Limestone, which had been one of the standard bearers in the region for the past decade.

Florida Southern, another of the other traditional leaders in the South, learned that its dominance in the SSC may be coming to an end as upstart Embry-Riddle downed the Mocs for the first time ever, winning 15-7 in a game that they controlled from start to finish.

Also in the SSC, third-year program Lynn announced its presence with a 12-10 statement victory over previously unbeaten and No. 5-ranked Rollins.  Both Lynn and Embry-Riddle jump into the top ten in this week’s poll.

Further north, PSAC powerhouses East Stroudsburg and West Chester waged another epic battle, with WCU prevailing 8-7 on a late goal by Hannah Stanislawczyk. They have now split their two games this season but could potentially play twice more in the postseason.

Games of note in the week ahead include No. 2 UIndy hosting No. 8 Lindenwood, No. 10 Embry-Riddle at No. 19 Tampa, and No. 3 Adelphi at No. 11 Stonehill in an NE10 showdown.

NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION III WOMEN’S TOP 20

Also considered: Bloomsburg (10-4), Davenport (11-5), Florida Tech (8-4), IUP (10-4), Mercyhurst (8-4)

Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings

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

HOT

Lynn (+9)

The Fighting Knights registered the most significant win in their three-year history, upsetting previously undefeated Rollins, which was ranked fifth at the time. Goalie Ciara Moorman recorded 11 saves and four different players scored twice each to lead Lynn. The Fighting Knights also beat Florida Tech three days a later and have now won nine of their last 10 games as they contend for the SSC regular season title.

Embry-Riddle (+5)

How did they Eagles respond to having their season-opening 11-game winning streak snapped? They rebounded with a dominating performance to upset No. 11 Florida Southern and keep themselves in the thick of the SSC race. A showdown with first-place Tampa is on Wednesday, with ERAU seeking to claim its sixth win of the year over a ranked opponent.

NOT

Rollins (-7)

The Tars fell hard from the ranks of the unbeaten last week, losing to both No. 9 Lynn and No. 19 Tampa in a span of three days. Rollins closes out the regular season this week with games against St. Leo and Florida Tech as it tries to secure its spot in the SSC postseason tournament.

Le Moyne (-4)

The Dolphins had their four-game winning streak halted with an 11-5 setback against NE10 nemesis Adelphi, getting outscored 8-2 in the second half and finishing with their lowest goal output of the season. With a 6-3 conference mark, Le Moyne has dropped three conference games for the first time since the 2014 season.

IN

Seton Hill (No. 17)

The Griffins extended their winning streak to seven games and improved to 7-2 in PSAC play with a 9-8 win over Mercyhurst on Saturday. Grace Agnello scored the game-winner on a free position with 27 seconds left after Mercyhurst had scored four straight second half goals to tie the game.

Tampa (No. 19)

The Spartans posted their best win of the season last Saturday, outscoring No. 5 Rollins 9-1 in the second half to claim the 18-10 win. After a brutal non-conference schedule, Tampa has regrouped to win four of five SSC games and currently stands in first place in the league. Entering the final week of the regular season, the Spartans face a daunting challenge with back-to-back games against No. 10 Embry-Riddle and No. 9 Lynn.

OUT

Limestone (was No. 19)

What a roller coaster ride it’s been this year for the Saints, who started the year in the Top 20, dropped out for four weeks, returned to the ranking last week, and now fall out again after being whipped 24-2 by No. 1 Queens.

Florida Tech (was No. 20)

The Panthers have lost three straight to sink to seventh place in the SSC standings. Their upset bid against No. 9 Lynn last Saturday came up a bit short as the visitors scored four of the game’s final five goals to claim the 14-12 victory.