THE WEEK THAT WAS:
Florida Solves UNC
Hayley Hicklen’s school-record 16 saves backstopped a dominating 17-10 victory for the Florida Gators at North Carolina on Saturday. She was named the Brine/US Lacrosse Player of the Week for her performance.
Stony Brook Stays Perfect, Sweeps Midwestern Swing
The Seawolves further cemented their No. 1 ranking with an all-around 15-10 victory at Northwestern. They never trailed and was led by Ally Kennedy’s four goals.
Stony Brook then completed the Big Ten sweep with a dominating 16-3 win at Michigan on Monday. After falling behind 2-1 less than 12 minutes in, Stony Brook rattled off the next 15 goals. Kylie Ohlmiller scored four times.
Virginia 5-0 After ACC Win over Syracuse
The Cavaliers’ best start to a season since 2007 continued with a 17-16 win over Syracuse on Sunday. Maddie Behr had four goals, while she and Maggie Jackson combined to win 13 of Virginia’s 20 draw controls.
Stanford Dominates Duke, Polishes Off Perfect Weekend
The Cardinal dusted the Duke Blue Devils, 15-5, in Durham on Friday, led by 12 saves from goalie Allie DaCar. Stanford backed that performance up with a 17-10 win at Elon on Sunday for the Cardinal’s third straight victory. In those three victories, Stanford has racked up 53 goals.
The Mount, Hopkins Blank Opponents
The first shutouts of 2018 occurred last week as Mount St. Mary’s and Johns Hopkins accomplished the feat.
Last Wednesday, the Mountaineers won 16-0 over Presbyterian, the first shutout for The Mount since 2013 against Delaware State. Hopkins blanked Furman on Saturday, 19-0, the Blue Jays’ first shutout since 2009 against Fresno State.
Eagles Light the Scoreboard
Marquette and Niagara combined to score 38 goals in a Saturday barnburner as the Golden Eagles down the Purple Eagles, 23-15. The total goals at halftime (26) would have outscored 16 other full games played on Saturday. The two teams combined to shoot 54 percent (38-of-71).
Five different Marquette players tallied at least three goals led by Charlotte McGuire’s six, while Riley Hill had a game-high eight points (4g, 4a). Niagara’s Rachel MacCheyne matched Hill’s eight points (6g, 2a).
Unbeaten Watch
Just eight teams remain unbeaten, and all but one appears in this week’s Nike/US Lacrosse rankings:
No. 1 Stony Brook (5-0)
No. 2 James Madison (5-0)
No. 5 Boston College (7-0)
No. 6 Virginia (5-0)
No. 8 Towson (3-0)
No. 9 Penn (4-0)
No. 16 Yale (4-0)
Bryant (2-0)
Yale is 4-0 for the first time since 2014 after a 16-15 win against Harvard and Penn is 4-0 for the first time since 2015 with a victory at Cornell, 11-4. Bryant is the current leader in NCAA scoring defense (4.00 goals against per game). A pair of Ivy League foes await the Bulldogs (Brown on Wednesday, Harvard on Saturday).
THE WEEK TO COME:
Trojans Host High-Flying Eagles
The Women of Troy look to stymie Sam Apuzzo and the Eagles on Wednesday (6 p.m. ET) in Los Angeles. Apuzzo’s 4.86 goals per game is second only to Vanderbilt’s Kayla Peterson (5.25).
Orange Welcome Gators
Florida seeks its second straight ACC scalp when it travels to the Carrier Dome on Wednesday afternoon (2 p.m.). Syracuse has fallen to the Gators in the past two meetings (19-12 in 2017, 11-10 in 2016).
Loyola and Towson Square off on Wednesday
Both teams have won by a goal over Penn State in dramatic fashion. No. 19 Loyola is riding the momentum of Sunday, while No. 8 Towson has had an extended lay-off due to a postponement against Oregon. Opening draw is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
Pac-12 Lacrosse is Here
The first official conference games in Pac-12 lacrosse history will commence Friday when Stanford visits Colorado (5 p.m. ET) and California heads to Oregon (9 p.m. ET). USC will host Arizona State on Saturday at 3 p.m. (ET) before California goes to Colorado (Sunday, 2 p.m. ET) and Stanford travels to Oregon (Sunday, 6 p.m. ET).
The Pac-12 will feature round-robin play with a six-team conference tournament to be played at Colorado (April 26-29).
The March issue of U.S. Lacrosse Magazine profiles the debut of Pac-12 lacrosse.