The Michigan Women’s Lacrosse is making noise early in the season after an impressive win over Notre Dame this past weekend. Women’s lacrosse is in full swing and there definitely were some surprises last weekend. It looks to be an exciting season this year as many programs across the country are looking to make a run, but they will have to get through Boston College first.
All rankings are pulled from the USA Season Rankings.
Michigan (11) – Notre Dame (7)
Major upset alert! Michigan women’s lacrosse had a phenomenal weekend, starting off with a 23-2 victory against University of Detroit Mercy on Friday evening before traveling to South Bend to face #5 Notre Dame, defeating the Irish 11-7.
Kaitlyn Mead led the Michigan offense with four goals, Erin Garvey secured her first hat trick of the season, and both Kaylee Dyer and Kaley Thompson scored two goals.
While Michigan never trailed in this game, Notre Dame seemed to have an answer for each of the opening offensive sets before Michigan expanded the lead to 8-3 with 5 consecutive goals. The Irish outscored the Wolverines in the 3rd quarter 2-1, but Michigan’s strong defense forced low-angle shots consistently throughout the game and goalie Arielle Weissman secured 13 saves, shutting down any offensive momentum of the Irish.
This victory launched Michigan to the Top 20 list, now ranked 11th after being unranked. This is a huge step in the right direction for the Michigan women’s lacrosse program.
Michigan will be back on the field again this Friday, Feb. 18, taking on Arizona State at 4 pm EST at U-M Lacrosse Stadium. The Irish will travel to Nashville for a 2pm EST matchup against Vanderbilt.
Syracuse (12) – Stanford (9)
Kayla Treanor secured her first win as the Syracuse Head Coach. While the Cards came out strong with 2 quick goals, Syracuse had an answer for every offensive move, especially in the second half.
The Orange were able to change the momentum with 11 caused turnovers compared to Stanford’s 5. Junior Meghan Tyrell came in hot with 6 goals, and her sister Emma Tyrell scored 2. For Stanford, Ailish Kelly and Annabel Frist both had 3 goals each, with Jay Browne and Sarah Jacques scoring the others.
A very competitive game for both the Cards and the Orange. Both programs will be tested again this weekend with Syracuse is facing #4 Stony Brook at home at 4:00PM EST on Sunday, February 20, while Stanford is welcoming Denver to California on Friday, February 18th at 6:00PM PT.
Boston College (18) – Northwestern (9)
Boston College showed themselves to already be in mid-season form in their performance this weekend against Northwestern. Charlotte North came out with a bang, placing 7 shots in the back of the net, with Belle Smith starting off the season with a hat trick.
The Northwestern defense gave 100% effort, with Wildcat goalkeeper Madison Doucette putting up a career-high 12 saves. Jill Girardi put up an impressive 4 goals early on in the game, and Lauren Gilbert cemented herself as a player to watch this season with outstanding offensive ball movement along with a goal in the 4th quarter.
Northwestern answered their loss against Boston College on Monday with a 24-13 win over Marquette as they continue to find their footing with a new freshman class and a few key players out with injuries.
Boston College takes the field again this Wednesday at the University of Massachusetts at 12:00pm EST and faces Boston University at home on Saturday at 12:00pm EST. Northwestern faces Arizona State this weekend at home on Sunday at 12:00pm CT.
