All was not quiet on the Western front last week — Stanford knocked off Stony Brook on Sunday while Michigan upset Denver earlier in the week — and Navy let everyone know they're not going anywhere with a win over Florida on Saturday. All of that led to plenty of movement in this week's rankings, just not at the top.
That could be changing.
No. 1 Boston College handed USC its first loss of the season on Friday, but now the Eagles get ready for a very challenging week. BC heads to Navy on Wednesday and then goes to the Midwest to play at Northwestern on Saturday.
No. 2 Maryland cruised to road wins over UMBC and Hofstra and now begins a three-game homestand with No. 4 Syracuse on Saturday. The Orange, who had Boston College on the ropes earlier this year, scored a convincing win over Virginia on Saturday.
No. 3 North Carolina opened its new stadium with an impressive effort against Northwestern, but faces another test at home this weekend with Virginia coming to Chapel Hill.
No. 5 Penn hosts city rival Drexel on Tuesday and a strong Georgetown team awaits this weekend.
March 4, 2019 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston College | 6-0 | 1 | 3/6 at No. 16 Navy |
| 2 | Maryland | 5-0 | 2 | 3/9 at No. 4 Syracuse |
| 3 | North Carolina | 4-1 | 3 | 3/9 vs. No. 7 Virginia |
| 4 | Syracuse | 6-1 | 4 | 3/9 vs. No. 2 Maryland |
| 5 | Penn | 4-0 | 6 | 3/5 vs. Drexel |
| 6 | James Madison | 4-1 | 8 | 3/6 at Penn State |
| 7 | Virginia | 5-1 | 5 | 3/6 vs. George Mason |
| 8 | Johns Hopkins | 4-1 | 11 | 3/6 vs. Saint Joseph's |
| 9 | Loyola | 2-2 | 12 | 3/6 at Towson |
| 10 | Northwestern | 4-2 | 9 | 3/9 vs. No. 1 Boston College |
| 11 | Michigan | 6-0 | 19 | 3/3 vs. Cincinnati |
| 12 | Princeton | 3-1 | 15 | 3/9 vs. No. 17 Stony Brook |
| 13 | Denver | 4-1 | 7 | 3/8 at Fairfield |
| 14 | Stanford | 4-1 | 20 | 3/8 vs. Colorado |
| 15 | Duke | 5-1 | 16 | 3/9 at Louisville |
| 16 | Navy | 4-1 | NR | 3/6 vs. No. 1 Boston College |
| 17 | Stony Brook | 2-2 | 10 | 3/9 at No. 12 Princeton |
| 18 | Notre Dame | 6-0 | 17 | 3/13 at Virginia Commonwealth |
| 19 | Georgetown | 4-1 | 18 | 3/5 vs. George Washington |
| 20 | Florida | 1-3 | 13 | 3/7 at Elon |
Also considered: Colorado, Ohio State, Penn State, USC, Virginia Tech
Nike/US Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Michigan (+8)
Michigan had to postpone Sunday's game against Cincinnati due to inclement weather, but everything else with the Wolverines is red hot. Second-year head coach Hannah Nielsen has the Wolverines off to a 6-0 start that is highlighted by last Tuesday's 12-10 win at previously unbeaten Denver.
Michigan goalie Mira Shane ranks among the Top 10 goalies nationally with a 56.5 save percentage and Adriana Pendino leads the Wolverines with 17 goals.
Stanford (+6)
The most impressive thing about Stanford ending Stony Brook's 33-game home winning streak with a 15-12 win on Sunday was that the Cardinal withstood several runs for the Seawolves.
After Stanford took a 5-1 lead, Stony Brook roared back with five goals. On three separate occasions in the second half, Stony Brook pushed its lead to two goals and threatened to pull away, but Stanford had an answer for everything. Ali Baiocco's six goals were part of an 11-goal weekend for her that also included a win at Albany.
Princeton (+3)
The Tigers had a great bounce back week after losing to Virginia the previous week. On Wednesday, Princeton poured in 21 goals in a 21-10 win over Penn State in what has traditionally been a very competitive series. On Saturday, Princeton dominated Columbia 18-1 to open Ivy League play.
NOT
Florida (-7)
The Gators losing streak hit three games as Navy rallied from a four-goal deficit in the final five minutes to post a 14-13 victory. Florida, which has played only one game at home in the early season, stays on the road this weekend wth a trip to North Carolina to play Elon and High Point.
Since a season-opening 16-9 win over Colorado, Florida has given up an average of 15.3 goals per game in losses to Maryland, Loyola and Navy.
Stony Brook (-7)
The Seawolves took a double whammy this week. The weekend started off good with a road win at Towson, but a loss to Stanford on Sunday hurt. Denver, which beat Stony Brook last week, also took a hit with a loss to Michigan earlier in the week.
Denver (-6)
Flying high after last weekend's win over Stony Brook, Denver came down to Earth with a loss to Michigan on Tuesday. Frigid temperatures denied the Pioneers a chance to get back on the field on Sunday against Louisville. The waiting game goes on as Denver will be idle until coming to New England this weekend to play at Fairfield and Harvard.
IN
Navy
The Mids went from the bubble to back in the Top 20 following their second miracle comeback of the early season. On Feb. 17, Navy trailed Saint Joseph's by four goals with just over six minutes to play, but stormed back for a 12-11 victory.
On Saturday, the Mids rallied in even less time. Trailing Florida by four with under five minutes to play, Navy came back for a 14-13 win on Kelly Larkin's goal with just 17 seconds left.
Navy hosts No. 1 Boston College on Wednesday.
OUT
Penn State
After opening the season 3-0, the Nittany Lions suffered a couple of tough defeats last week. Princeton raced out to a 6-0 lead on the way to a 21-10 win over Penn State on Wendesday and then Loyola led from start to finish in a 13-8 victory on Saturday.