Vol. 4: The Big Ten Is Back to Where It Should Be
Vol. 4: The Big Ten Is Back to Where It Should Be
The Big Ten had just four total NCAA Tourney bids in 2021. Three weeks into this season, every team in the league has a winning record, and three are in the Top 10.
Grad transfer Aurora Cordingley celebrates with her Maryland teammates during an 18-8 win over then-No. 7 Florida on Saturday. Photo courtesy: Maryland Athletics.
The Big Ten is home to the two most prolific college women’s lacrosse programs in the country: Maryland and Northwestern. The Terrapins and Wildcats have combined for 21 national titles. Only 11 other programs have won it all—and, in total, they have 18 championships.
But things got weird in 2021. The Big Ten was one of two conferences in the sport (the other being the MAAC) to exclusively play league opponents last year because of COVID-19. The conference-only schedule consisted of a bunch of weekend doubleheaders that delivered upsets but ultimately made the league table murky. Aside from Northwestern, which won the Big Ten and ended up making it to the Final Four, the rest of the conference—including Maryland—was Jekyll and Hyde.
By the time the NCAA Tournament rolled around, the ACC earned five top seeds. Meanwhile, the Big Ten played second fiddle, receiving just four total bids. Johns Hopkins, Maryland, Rutgers and Northwestern were a combined 4-4 in the tournament, and the Wildcats were blown out in the semifinals by eventual runner-up Syracuse.
To make matters worse for the Big Ten, the National Championship was an all-ACC matchup.
Luckily for the conference, equilibrium appears to have been reached in 2022. Every team in the Big Ten has a winning record right now, and the league features three teams in the Top 10, namely No. 8 Michigan, which is 5-0 after winning just three games last year.
No. 14 Rutgers has also made some noise, scoring 16 or more goals in every outing, en route to a 4-0 start. The Scarlet Knights are building off their monumental 2021 season, during which they upset Penn State and Maryland to make their first NCAA Tournament since 1999. Then they won their first-ever tournament game against a budding Drexel program.
Maryland is already looking like a Final Four team again. The No. 4 Terrapins just whooped then-No. 7 Florida, 18-8, and now have a pair of ranked wins under their belt. Johns Hopkins grad transfer Aurora Cordingley has been piloting the ship with 21 points (13 goals, 8 assists).
And Northwestern, even without Izzy Scane, is holding its own. After a season-opening loss to top-ranked BC, the No. 6 Wildcats have responded with three wins in a row, including a one-goal victory over a hungry Notre Dame team. The road doesn’t get any easier for Kelly Amonte Hiller’s team, which plays at No. 3 Syracuse Tuesday afternoon.
Soon enough, the Big Ten will be a conference play crash course. But, just as the world seems to be getting back to normal (at least in terms of COVID-19), so does the league.
Other Storylines to Know:
1. UVA’s offense is heating up. In order to beat Boston College, you have to score at least 10 goals. The Eagles have won 35 straight when holding opponents under that mark. No. 13 UVA accomplished that feat in the first half alone and actually led No. 1 BC, 10-9, at halftime. Although the Cavaliers unraveled a bit in the final two quarters, they made some serious strides. Freshman middie Rachel Clark notched five goals. Senior attacker Ashlyn McGovern wasn’t far behind with four goals. The Cavaliers dominated BC in the circle, 27-14. Their issues were turnovers (20) and shot accuracy (only 19-of-32 were on goal). They were better in both categories over the weekend against then-No. 16 Stanford. UVA committed only 15 turnovers, landed 29-of-40 shots on goal and piled up 23 goals while snapping its three-game losing streak. Clark had another head-turning performance with eight points (4 goals, 4 assists).
2. Richmond is pacing the A-10 after a win over Stanford. Last week, we spotlighted the Richmond Spiders following their thrilling 13-12 overtime victory over Liberty. Don’t look now, but Richmond is 4-0 following another one-goal win last weekend—this one coming over then-No. 16 Stanford, 11-10. The story of the season so far has been the Spiders’ goalie, Delaney Galvin. The grad transfer from Marist has the sixth-best save percentage in the country (.565) to go along with a 9.34 goals against average. On the other end, the Spiders boast a balanced offense. Four players have 10 or more points: Arden Tierney (16), Lindsey Frank (14), Colleen Quinn (12) and Kendall Duffy (11). Richmond was picked third in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll and received zero first-place votes. UMass is the conference favorite and St. Joseph’s was picked second. Over the next two weeks, Richmond will host Coastal Carolina and travel to No. 13 Virginia and No. 21 James Madison.
3. The Women of Troy are making moves. No. 19 USC had the weekend off but still climbed four spots in the Inside Lacrosse Top 25—and for good reason. Because last weekend, the Trojans, thanks to a 6-0 run in the third quarter, topped a battled-tested Jacksonville team and then improved to 3-0 with a decisive win over Mercer. The Trojans have outscored their first three opponents, 46-26. They’re bouncing back after missing the NCAA Tournament last year for just the second time since 2015. USC is fueled by a balanced scoring attack. Against Jacksonville and Mercer, eight different Trojans found the back of the net. Redshirt freshman Isabelle Vitale and sophomore Claudia Shevit lead the way with 15 and 11 points, respectively. But sophomore Shelby Tilton scored the game-winner versus the Dolphins. On defense, goalie Kait Devir has impressed. The BC transfer is posting a .468 save percentage.
Junior defender Danielle Carson greets her team before No. 19 USC’s 15-7 victory at Mercer. Photo courtesy: Mikaela Carroll/USC Athletics.
4. The Greyhounds remain in the Top 10 with a pair of victories. While most ACC and Big Ten programs have played four or more games, many of the mid-majors ease into their spring schedule. The Loyola Greyhounds have played just two games, are a perfect 2-0 and find themselves ranked No. 9 for the second straight week. Attacker Livy Rosenzweig, whose sister Gabby played at Penn and Duke, leads the team with eight points. Sydni Black, after notching five points in a 13-11 win over Towson, is second on the team with seven points. In the next eight days, Loyola will play at No. 20 Penn and then host No. 25 Penn State and Georgetown.
5. Stanford and Notre Dame both sit at 1-4 after a handful of close losses. Last year, the Fighting Irish won two NCAA Tournament games before falling to eventual national champion BC. This season, Notre Dame dropped back-to-back contests against now-No. 8 Michigan and now-No. 16 Vanderbilt and then lost by one goal to two top-six teams, No. 6 Northwestern and No. 3 Syracuse. In the Feb. 23 game against the Wildcats, Northwestern led, 16-11, with 11:12 left in the fourth. Notre Dame scored four straight goals, including two from Jackie Wolak, to cut the deficit to 16-15. Northwestern’s Hannah Johnson then scored a woman-up, free-position goal to give the Wildcats insurance and secure a 17-16 win. Northwestern won 21 draw controls to Notre Dame’s 14. The Wildcats were also 18-of-19 on clears, while the Irish were just 14-of-20. Three days later, Notre Dame welcomed Syracuse to the Loftus Sports Center. Despite Kasey Choma and Madison Ahern scoring five and six goals, respectively, for the Irish, Syracuse star Meaghan Tyrrell buried the overtime winner as the Orange won by the same exact score, 17-16. Notre Dame never led versus Syracuse, and Bridget Deehan made nine saves in the losing effort.
2,200 miles west, the Stanford Cardinal have hummed a similar tune. Last year, Stanford went a perfect 9-0 in the regular season, winning its games by an average of six goals. The Cardinal then won the Pac-12 Tournament before falling in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to a similarly red-hot Denver team, 15-13. This season, Stanford was picked atop the Pac-12 preseason poll but lost its opener at No. 3 Syracuse, 12-9, and won game two at Albany, 15-14. In the rematch versus No. 15 Denver, however, the Pioneers outshot the Cardinal, 28-13, and were +5 in the ground ball department. Despite Stanford goalie Kara Rahaim making 11 saves, Stanford lost, 8-6. A week later, the Cardinal never led in a game against Richmond. Despite scoring two goals in the final 1:10, Stanford lost to the Spiders, 11-10. In Stanford’s most recent outing at No. 13 UVA, the Cavaliers won the first quarter, 11-4, and the game, 23-13.
So where have the Irish and the Cardinal gone wrong? Most of the Irish’s stats are middle of the road in the ACC. Notre Dame is fifth in the conference in goals per game (15.00) and fifth in shot percentage (.487). Where Notre Dame has really struggled, though, is on the defensive end. The Irish average 28.2 fouls per game, second-most in the conference and fifth-most nationally. Only Syracuse, Arizona State, James Madison and Johns Hopkins foul more than Notre Dame. Additionally, the team’s save percentage is just 0.347, seventh in ACC and bottom 15 in the country.
Meanwhile, Stanford has allowed the most goals in the Pac-12 so far this season (34) and is a middling 7-of-20 on free-position shots this season. Colorado, which leads the conference with a 3-0 mark to this point, is 14-of-26 on free positions. The Cardinal are also last in the Pac-12 in draw controls per game (12.00) and draw control percentage (43.8%).
No. 25 Stanford is just 1-4 to start the season after coasting to a 9-0 start and winning the Pac-12 last year. Photo courtesy: Stanford Athletics.
Weekly Focus:
IT’S TIME TO REWIND…CHAMPIONSHIP STYLE
On its women’s lacrosse landing page, the NCAA recently promoted a history of the sport’s title game matchups. We had a field day reliving some of the greatest finales college lacrosse has had to offer. In this weekly focus, we’ll offer some fast facts and then pick our two favorite championship games.
Fast Facts
Maryland has the most national championships with 14. The Terrapins were runners-up in another eight title games
The only other schools to win multiple national championships are Northwestern (7), Virginia (3), Princeton (3), North Carolina (2), Temple (2) and Penn State (2)
In the first six years of the NCAA Tournament, there were six different national champions: UMass, Delaware, Temple, New Hampshire, Maryland and Penn State
Northwestern is the only school west of the Ohio River to win a national championship.
Towson, Maryland has been the host site for five national championship games, more than any other location
Syracuse has the most national championship game appearances without a win (4)
There have been 13 one-goal games in the national championship and five decided in overtime
David’s picks:
2018: JMU-BC — James Madison, 16-15
In the Dukes’ previous 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, they did not advance further than the quarterfinals and were seeded higher than No. 8 just once (No. 3 in 2000)
This game had five lead changes and five ties. The game was tied, 10-10, with 22:09 left in the second half, and BC scored twice in the final three minutes to pull within one goal
JMU’s Haley Warden led the way with four goals, while Hanna Haven, Kristen Gaudian and Elena Rosenburg each had a hat trick
Warden won three draw controls in the win over BC, bringing her to 108 on the season and setting a new single-season CAA record
1985: New Hampshire-Maryland — UNH, 6-5
The second-lowest scoring contest in National Championship history, with the first being a 6-4 Temple win over Maryland in the 1984 title game
New Hampshire went 11-3 on the season and had a +6.21 scoring margin
UNH fielded a team of two-sport athletes, as many of the players were also on the university’s field hockey team that went 16-3-1 and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament the previous fall. Both the lacrosse team and field hockey team were coached by Marisa Didio
Only four teams made the NCAA Tournament that year, although 12 made it in 1984
UNH beat the top-seeded reigning national champs Temple (17-0) in the first round, 7-3, while Maryland (14-1) beat Penn State (14-3), 12-11, in triple overtime
UNH’s Sandy Vander-Heyden was one of the tournament’s most outstanding players. She would go on to compete in field hockey at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea
The 1985 national-title-winning Wildcats. Pictured on the far right in the middle row is UNH head coach Marisa Didio. Fourth from the right in the back row is Sandy Vander-Heyden, one of the tournament’s most outstanding players. Photo Courtesy: New Hampshire Athletics.
Andy’s picks:
2013: UNC-Maryland — UNC, 13-12 3OT
Maryland was 22-0 entering the game and 6-0 in overtime in its NCAA Tournament history
UNC’s Emily Garrity corralled a loose ball and attempted a buzzer-beating shot before halftime but hit Maryland's Iliana Sanza in the face—Sanza got stitches and returned for the second half, while Garrity was given a yellow card for dangerous propelling
Reigning Tewaaraton Award winner Katie Schwarzmann forced overtime after a 3-0 UNC run gave the Tar Heels a 12-11 lead
Freshman middie Sammy Jo Tracy scored the game-winner in triple overtime for UNC to give the Tar Heels their first national championship
No other NCAA DI women’s lacrosse national title game has gone to triple overtime
UNC’s Mara Cannizzara works through Maryland’s Beth Glaros in the 2013 National Championship, a triple-OT classic. Photo courtesy: Rich Barnes/USA TODAY Sports.
2001: Georgetown-Maryland — Maryland, 14-13 OT
This game gave Maryland its seventh straight national title
It was the sport’s first overtime championship game since 1993
Jen Adams (now Loyola’s head coach), at the time the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer, only found the back of the net once, and Maryland still won
Maryland staked itself to an 8-1 lead in the first half before Georgetown orchestrated a comeback
Allison Comito scored the game-winner with eight seconds left in the second overtime period
It was Maryland’s sixth one-goal win of the year
The Terrapins were 140-5 in their seven-year dynasty
Numbers to Know:
15.33 – the number of saves VCU’s Meghna Dawar has made per game this season, good for first in the country. Dawar, a redshirt junior, appeared in just four games last season and made 10 total saves. She already has 46 in 2022.
21, 19 – the most draw controls by a single player in a game this season, both coming from Duke’s Maddie Jenner. The senior won 21 draws at High Point on Feb. 20 and had another 19 in a 25-5 win over Elon.
9 – the number of ground balls Gardner Webb’s redshirt junior Danielle Burke scooped up in a 17-7 win over Akron. Only Albany’s Katherine Chiarella has tallied that many ground balls in a game this season.
Tewaaraton Watch:
POINTS LEADERS
GOALS LEADERS
NOTE: Stats are correct through March 1.
Latest Inside Lacrosse Poll
NOTE: screenshots pulled from insidelacrosse.com.
BC, off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 2019, is atop the poll for the third week in a row. The top six remained intact. The only change was that Stony Brook and Maryland traded places, with the Terrapins making their first Top Four entrance of the season. Michigan remained undefeated and inched up to No. 8. Princeton cracked the Top 10 with its second consecutive ranked victory, a 14-10 win over then-No. 20 Temple. Florida kept on sliding with a 10-goal defeat to Maryland. Interestingly enough, Notre Dame actually went from No. 17 to No. 16 despite two more losses and, now, a 1-4 record—but the Fighting Irish did indeed show growth amid back-to-back one-goal thrillers against two of last year’s Final Four (including an overtime loss to No. 3 Syracuse). Vanderbilt, which also beat Notre Dame earlier this year, jumped six places after its win over Elon. The biggest winner of the week, however, was Richmond. The 4-0 Spiders are in the Top 25 for the first time this year, following an 11-10 victory against Stanford. The Cardinal, on the other hand, are the week’s biggest loser, just barely staying in the poll.
What’s Ahead?
No. 6 Northwestern @ No. 3 Syracuse, March 1, 4 p.m.
Colorado @ No. 16 Vanderbilt, March 4, 3 p.m.
No. 11 Florida @ No. 5 Stony Brook, March 5, 10 a.m.
No. 9 Loyola @ No. 25 Penn State, March 5, 12 p.m.
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