Professional PLL
06:00 PM
Jul 19
Phi
Den
Back at it again with the Nike/US Lacrosse Division II rankings. Another week, another close call for one of the top teams in the country. This time it was Le Moyne, which needed overtime to beat an Assumption team it blew out by 16 goals last season. The 8-7 scoreline was the same as a previous overtime win over Lindenwood on Feb. 25. It seems the perennial powers can be challenged this year.
We did have a top 10 upset this weekend, and it happened in our backyard. Mount Olive came back from down 5-1 to beat No. 4 Mercyhurst 8-7 in overtime at US Lacrosse Headquarters on Saturday. It's the third straight win for the Trojans over the Lakers.
You'll also notice a few newcomers to the top 20, thanks to losses all over the bottom of the rankings and "Also Considered" category.
Feb 27, 2017 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Le Moyne | 4-0 | 1 | 3/11 at Mercy |
| 2 | Limestone | 5-0 | 2 | 3/11 at Lynn |
| 3 | Merrimack | 3-0 | 3 | 3/18 vs. Le Moyne |
| 4 | NYIT | 3-0 | 5 | 3/8 at Pace |
| 5 | Lindenwood | 3-1 | 6 | 3/14 at Alderson Broaddus |
| 6 | Mount Olive | 4-0 | 8 | 3/8 at Lake Erie |
| 7 | Seton Hill | 2-1 | 7 | 3/11 vs. Florida Tech |
| 8 | Mercyhurst | 2-1 | 4 | 3/8 vs. Saint Rose |
| 9 | Tampa | 4-2 | 9 | 3/8 vs. Notre Dame De Namur |
| 10 | Lynn | 3-0 | 10 | 3/7 at Wingate |
| 11 | Adelphi | 3-1 | 11 | 3/8 vs. Assumption |
| 12 | Belmont Abbey | 4-1 | 13 | 3/11 at Tampa |
| 13 | Pace | 1-0 | 12 | 3/8 vs. NYIT |
| 14 | Mercy | 4-1 | 14 | 3/11 vs. Le Moyne |
| 15 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 3-1 | 17 | 3/7 vs. Brevard |
| 16 | Saint Leo | 3-1 | 15 | 3/6 at Emmanuel |
| 17 | LIU Post | 3-3 | 20 | 3/11 vs. Chestnut Hill |
| 18 | Rollins | 4-2 | N/A | 3/12 at Mount Olive |
| 19 | Westminster (Ut.) | 1-0 | N/A | 3/11 at Saint Leo |
| 20 | Queens (N.C.) | 3-2 | 19 | 3/11 at Mars Hill |
Also considered: Molloy, Wingate, Bentley, Assumption, Colorado Mesa, Rockhurst, Chestnut Hill, Lake Erie, Florida Southern, Saint Anselm
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
LIU Post (+3)
I still believe the Pioneers are a solid team that had a pretty bad start. It helped that LIU Post got by a decent Molloy team last week, plus almost all the teams behind them lost. LIU Post may not necessarily be hot. but it could be taking steps in the right direction.
Mount Olive (+2)
As you can tell, there weren't many big changes in the top 20, but Mount Olive's win over Mercyhurst was the most impressive. Down four goals, the Trojans started getting stops and converted when they needed to. At 4-0, there's reason to believe this team is for real.
NOT
Mercyhurst (-4)
The other side of the battle on Saturday, Mercyhurst can't feel good about wasting an opportunity to score a big nonconference win. The Lakers are still a quality team and will have plenty of time to make up ground on the top 5, but for now, this loss will probably sting a bit.
NEW
Rollins
This is where the rankings were tough, because most of the teams on the outside looking in did not help their case. Rollins does have two losses on the season, but they came to top 20 teams and by a combined three goals. On a week defined by losses, Rollins' two defeats to Lenoir-Rhyne and NYIT shows it can compete with some of the top teams in the country.
Westminster (Utah)
Another tough choice. Westminster is only one game into its season, so it's hard to tell how good this team can be. However, a victory of Rockhurst was an attention-getter. It would be tough to put Rockhurst or Colorado Mesa (whom Rockhurst beat last month) ahead of this team. Thus, we have another team west of the Mississippi in the rankings.
OUT
Rockhurst
Rockhurst came out of the gates strong, beating Colorado Mesa en route to making an appearance in the rankings last week. However. a loss to Westminster knocks them out for now. The Hawks gets Colorado Mesa again this week, so they could very well crack the top 20 again soon.
Lake Erie
Lake Erie hasn't done much to prove it belongs in the top 20, with an 11-goal loss to Belmont Abbey, and this week, another loss at the hands of Florida Southern. The Storm will get Mount Olive next, then Limestone, so they could be looking at 0-4. If Lake Erie can pull an upset, it could make it back in the top 20.