Despite little movement at the top of the IWLCA coaches poll, there were plenty of storylines in the women’s lacrosse landscape over the last week. The contenders — led by UNC — appear established, but multiple teams are poised to make a competitive surge behind them. Let’s take a look at this week’s rankings.
NOTE: All rankings referenced in this article are from this week’s poll.
1. North Carolina (9-0, 7-0 ACC)
Movement: none
Last Week: 21-12 win over No. 17 Boston College
This Week: vs. No. 11 Northwestern, vs. East Carolina
This
isn’t your older sibling’s Boston College, but UNC’s 21-12 trouncing of the Eagles remains impressive despite the latter’s surprising 5-5 overall record. Chloe Humphrey racked up eight goals and Addison Pattillo tacked on five in a game where UNC led 18-8 after three quarters of play. In total, the Tar Heels were efficient with their 37 shots, and they dominated star goalkeeper Shea Dolce, who only had six saves alongside 19 goals allowed. North Carolina has been rolling as of late, and it would be a shock if Northwestern is able to keep Wednesday’s matchup close for long.
2. Stanford (10-0, 6-0 ACC)
Movement: none
Last Week: 14-8 win over Arizona State
This Week: at No. 17 Boston College, at Villanova
Stanford just keeps winning, and although it hasn’t dominated teams to the same extent as UNC, it went up by five goals at halftime against Arizona State and managed to emerge comfortably victorious. The Sun Devils actually won the shots-on-goal battle 22-20, but Cardinal goalkeeper Ella Morton dominated with a whopping 14 saves to help secure the win. Up next, the Eagles could pose a big test for Stanford as it seeks to continue its undefeated run.
3. Maryland (10-0, 2-0 B1G)
Movement: none
Last Week: 15-9 win over Penn, 13-7 win over USC
This Week: at No. 7 Johns Hopkins, vs. No. 21 Penn State
Maryland will be back to ranked matchups soon, but it secured two big wins against Penn and USC to close out the last part of the softer stretch in its schedule. Keeley Block and Kori Edmondson scored four goals apiece to lead the Terps against the Quakers, and Block tallied four goals alongside three from Edmondson and three from Lauren LaPointe in the win over the Trojans. Thursday’s road tilt against the Blue Jays could be the most fun matchup to watch this week, with the winner gaining an important position in the Big Ten standings.
4. Navy (10-0, 2-0 Patriot League)
Movement: none
Last Week: 18-3 win over Holy Cross
This Week: vs. Lehigh, at No. 22 Loyola Maryland
After barely beating the Sun Devils on March 17, Navy made a statement against Holy Cross in response, going up 13-0 at halftime en route to an 18-3 victory. Emma Kennedy’s six goals led the way for the Midshipmen, who have also enjoyed an easy schedule as of late. However, Navy will return to ranked competition soon against Loyola Maryland, seeking to add another big win to its resume.
5. Michigan (7-2, 2-0 B1G)
Movement: up one spot
Last Week: 11-6 win over No. 21 Penn State
This Week: vs. No. 20 Denver, vs. Oregon
Michigan and Florida are tied for fifth in this week’s rankings, as the Wolverines were bolstered by a solid ranked win with a dominating defensive performance. Penn State managed just 12 shots on goal against Michigan, and the Wolverines also won the draw control battle 12-7 while being led by four goals from Ava Class on offense. Next up for Michigan is an interesting matchup against one-loss Denver, who has played a softer schedule but took No. 12 Stony Brook to overtime before suffering its only defeat of the year by a 12-11 margin. It would not be shocking if the Pioneers pulled off an upset.
5. Florida (7-2, 0-0 Big 12)
Movement: none
Last Week: 13-10 win over Dartmouth
This Week: at Arizona State
Coming off three consecutive dominant wins, the Gators were nearly toppled by Dartmouth, as they only led 11-10 after three quarters of play before pulling away. The Big Green only trailed Florida 32-31 in shots, and they won the draw control battle 15-10, sticking around until their costly scoreless fourth quarter. Both aforementioned statistics are concerning for a Gator squad that hopes to return to the Final Four. Florida will look to right the ship quickly in its Big 12 opener against the Sun Devils.
7. Johns Hopkins (10-1, 3-0 Big Ten)
Movement: up one spot
Last Week: 20-5 win over USC, 18-12 win over No. 25 Ohio State
This Week: vs. No. 3 Maryland, at No. 11 Northwestern
The Blue Jays have long since rebounded from their disastrous early-season loss against Georgetown, as they blew out USC before taking care of business against Ohio State at home. Seven goals from Ava Angel and five from Taylor Hoss drove much of the offense against the Trojans, and it was Lacey Downey who led the way with four tallies against Ohio State, with Angello and Hoss tacking on three apiece. Johns Hopkins has developed a reliable and balanced scoring offense, giving it a good chance to make some noise against the Terrapins and Wildcats during the coming days.
8. Syracuse (8-3, 4-2 ACC)
Movement: up two spots
Last Week: 6-5 win over No. 19 Virginia, 10-8 win over Albany
This Week: vs. No. 23 Pittsburgh, at Cornell
With just 31 goals in their last four games, the Orange have struggled to get going on offense, but their defense has been stellar, allowing them to continue their eight-game winning streak by narrow margins. Syracuse held Virginia to just 15 shots in the teams’ low-scoring ranked slugfest. But in the win against Albany, the Orange got outshot 26-25 while losing the draw control battle 12-8. The matchup against the Great Danes could be a wake-up call for Syracuse, who will need to take care of business against a ranked Pittsburgh squad next.
9. Yale (8-1, 2-0 Ivy League)
Movement: down two spots
Last Week: 10-8 win over Brown
This Week: at No. 15 Princeton, vs. No. 18 Army
The Bulldogs’ drop down the rankings is due to their earlier March 17 loss against Syracuse, which wasn’t reflected in last week’s poll. A mere two-goal victory over Brown is somewhat concerning, but the Bears were trailing by five late in the fourth quarter and only cut their deficit to two thanks to three goals in the final 3:20. Still, Yale will aim to play a solid full 60 minutes in its upcoming ranked contests, as wins in both could allow the Bulldogs to move back up in the poll.
10. Clemson (8-4, 3-3 ACC)
Movement: down one spot
Last Week: 11-10 win over No. 23 Pittsburgh, 22-3 win over Wofford
This Week: vs. Virginia Tech, vs. Davidson
The Panthers gave Clemson a big scare last Saturday, taking a 9-8 lead early in the fourth quarter before the Tigers eventually pulled away. Goalkeeper Tessa DeLuca struggled somewhat with just five saves on the day, allowing Pittsburgh to nearly overcome a 29-21 shots disadvantage. Clemson did regain momentum with a dominant victory over Wofford, and it will look to secure two more blowout wins in its upcoming unranked matchups.
11. Northwestern (6-3, 1-1 B1G)
Movement: none
Last Week: 17-3 win over Oregon
This Week: at No. 1 UNC, vs. No. 7 Johns Hopkins
After a confidence-boosting victory against the Ducks, Northwestern enters the toughest stretch of its schedule, with a championship rematch against the Tar Heels preceding a heavyweight home bout with the Blue Jays. In theory, the Wildcats should only need to win one of those two games to vault back into the top 10 and earn an actual spot in this column, but success won’t be easy in either contest. UNC has been outright dominant this season, and Johns Hopkins is surging, making both matchups a tall task for the up-and-down ‘Cats.
Just missed the cut: Stony Brook (12-7 win over Drexel), Notre Dame (22-3 win over Florida State, 20-2 win over Robert Morris)
