The top eight teams in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Division III Women’s Top 20 remained the same after perfect weeks, but three new teams join the mix.
Geneseo, Bowdoin and St. Lawrence all moved into the rankings following strong performances last week, bumping out Chicago, Stevenson and St. John Fisher.
Colby continues to climb, bringing along with it a Tufts team that went from No. 2 in the preseason to as far down the list as No. 17 last week because of its early season defeat to then-unranked Colby. The Mules topped former No. 11 Wesleyan on Saturday, and Tufts smashed former No. 12 Chicago.
NIKE/USA LACROSSE
DIVISION III WOMEN’S TOP 20
March 21, 2022 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Salisbury |
8-0 |
1 |
3/22 vs. No. 4 William Smith (at IMG Academy) |
|
2 |
Gettysburg |
5-1 |
2 |
3/23 vs. No. 13 Tufts |
|
3 |
Middlebury |
4-0 |
3 |
3/22 at No. 10 York |
|
4 |
William Smith |
4-0 |
4 |
3/22 vs. No. 1 Salisbury (at IMG Academy) |
|
5 |
Ithaca |
5-0 |
5 |
3/25 at No. 16 St. Lawrence |
|
6 |
Washington and Lee |
5-2 |
6 |
3/23 vs. Williams |
|
7 |
Franklin & Marshall |
5-1 |
7 |
3/23 vs. No. 18 Catholic |
|
8 |
TCNJ |
5-0 |
8 |
3/22 at Moravian |
|
9 |
Colby |
4-1 |
15 |
3/24 vs. No. 11 Hamilton |
|
10 |
York |
4-2 |
10 |
3/22 vs. No. 3 Middlebury |
|
11 |
Hamilton |
4-0 |
13 |
3/22 at Dickinson |
|
12 |
Wesleyan |
4-1 |
11 |
3/23 vs. Western Connecticut State |
|
13 |
Tufts |
3-1 |
17 |
3/23 at No. 2 Gettysburg |
|
14 |
Geneseo |
3-1 |
NR |
3/26 vs. Nazareth |
|
15 |
Bowdoin |
4-2 |
NR |
3/23 vs. Plymouth State |
|
16 |
St. Lawrence |
6-0 |
NR |
3/25 vs. No. 5 Ithaca |
|
17 |
Trinity |
3-2 |
16 |
3/21 at St. John Fisher |
|
18 |
Catholic |
3-3 |
14 |
3/23 vs. No. 7 Franklin & Marshall |
|
19 |
Brockport |
2-2 |
9 |
3/26 vs. St. John Fisher |
|
20 |
Pomona-Pitzer |
6-0 |
20 |
3/26 at Occidental |
Also considered (alphabetical order): Denison (3-3), FDU-Florham (3-1), Messiah (4-3), Roanoke (3-2), Roger Williams (5-1)
Nike/USA Lacrosse Rankings
Division I Men | Division I Women
Division II Men | Division II Women
Division III Men | Division III Women
HOT
Colby (+6)
The Mules have won three in a row since opening 1-1 with a victory over Tufts and loss to Rogers Williams. Their 15-7 win over Wesleyan on Saturday was a solid result and their second victory over a ranked opponent.
Colby jumped out to a 5-1 lead after the first quarter and never trailed. Goalie Emily Podgorni turned away 10 shots for her third double-digit save effort of the season, while Grace Toner, Julia Jardina, Gianna Bruno, Annie Eddy and Elizabeth Hennessey all tallied hat tricks. Toner added four assists, and Eddy leads the team with 16 goals this season.
Tufts (+4)
The Jumbos seem to be making a statement during a three-game winning streak after they were severely punished in the rankings for their opening loss to Colby. Last week, they outscored their two opponents 36-11, including a 17-3 rout of then-No. 12 Chicago.
Tufts led just 5-2 after the first quarter but outscored Chicago 6-0 in the second stanza and cruised from there. The Jumbos had 10 players score, led by freshman Caroline Conaghan’s four goals and freshman Margie Carden’s three goals.
NOT
Brockport (-10)
The Golden Eagles dropped their first two losses of the season in consecutive outings, falling to William Smith 14-10 on Wednesday and following with a 15-12 loss to previously unranked St. Lawrence on Friday.
Allison Jennings led Brockport’s attack with five points on three goals and two assists against William Smith, while Cassidy Burnash added four goals, and Morgan Elmer made 15 saves. In the loss to St. Lawrence, Claire Odett had a season-high four goals, and Elmer recorded a fourth consecutive double-digit save performance with 21.
Brockport faces another test and opportunity to bounce back Saturday against St. John Fisher.
Catholic (-4)
The Cardinals suffered a second straight loss when previously unranked Bowdoin visited and took home a 20-13 win on Wednesday. Although they rebounded with a win against Roanoke on Saturday, it wasn’t convincing at 13-12, and they continued their slide in the rankings with a 3-3 record.
Junior Kate Olsen notched six goals and one assist to go along with two ground balls, and Rachel Searle made a career-high 10 saves in goal in the loss to Bowdoin. Next up is an even bigger test with Franklin & Marshall on the slate for Wednesday.
IN
Geneseo (No. 14)
The Knights jumped into the rankings with the help of a 14-13 win over Trinity, powered by a fourth-quarter comeback that was completed with a last-minute, game-winning goal from sophomore Emily Salanger. Salanger, who also had a game-winner in overtime the game prior against Montclair State, finished with four points, while Hannah Marafioti led the team with eight points on three goals and five assists.
Geneseo had suffered a big loss to William Smith in the second game of the season but now stands at 3-1 with a win against a ranked opponent.
Bowdoin (No. 15)
Bowdoin has won three consecutive games since dropping a 9-8 loss to ranked Hamilton, including a notable 20-13 victory against Catholic last week. The Polar Bears scored nine goals in the second quarter to build a 14-6 halftime lead and never trailed. Fiona Bundy led with six goals, an assist, seven draw controls and three ground balls, while Colleen McAloon and Sophia Sudano each tallied five goals.
St. Lawrence (No. 16)
The Saints are on a roll going into this week’s matchup with No. 5 Ithaca. They’re off to a 6-0 start to the season, but it was their 15-12 win over Brockport on Friday that lifted them into the Top 20.
St. Lawrence was trailing 6-5 at halftime but held Brockport scoreless in the third quarter while posting six goals, and that was enough to take the lead for good. Isabel Silvia led the Saints with five goals, and Raelynn Bovenzi made nine saves in goal.
OUT
Chicago (No. 12)
Chicago had benefited from some shuffling around in the rankings early on during an unbeaten start, but a 17-3 loss to Tufts dropped out the Maroons for now. Rachel Keefe made 12 saves, and it wasn’t enough, as the offense never got going. Turnovers were a factor, as Chicago finished with 23. The Maroons seek to bounce back when they travel to Vassar on Monday.
Stevenson (No. 18)
The Mustangs were hanging in the Top 20 with two of three opening losses to ranked opponents, but a fourth defeat to unranked FDU-Florham, by a lopsided 21-6 score in Naples, Fla., knocked them out. Sophie Shucosky made 17 saves, but FDU-Florham spoiled Stevenson’s start to spring break. The Mustangs had entered the rankings on the strength of a win against previously ranked St. John Fisher and a decent Mary Washington team the week prior.
St. John Fisher (No. 19)
The Cardinals won their only game last week, beating Oswego State 11-4, but their first win of the season wasn’t enough to keep them in with Stevenson’s defeat. Kathleen Salanger tallied three goals and an assist, and Brittany Halpin also recorded a hat trick to lead Fisher, which meets No. 17 Trinity on Monday.