US Lacrosse College Notebook
April 9, 2004

Unchartered Waters
Navy’s move to the Patriot League this season greatly increased its odds for gaining a NCAA tournament berth, but the way the Mids are playing the Patriot League automatic bid won’t be necessary. Navy moved to No. 4 in this week’s USILA Division I poll following its 7-5 victory over Georgetown last weekend. Navy, which is aiming to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1999, hasn’t been ranked this high since 1989.

Sophomore goalie Matt Russell has been one of the primary keys for Navy’s success. Since taking over in goal, he has led the team to a perfect 6-0 record and his 6.70 goals against average ranks sixth nationally.

Navy puts its No. 4 ranking on the line with a brutal test this weekend at top-ranked and undefeated Maryland. The Terps rank first nationally in scoring defense and have beaten Navy 11 straight times. The games have been very close in recent years however. Maryland beat Navy by identical 6-5 scores for four straight years from 1999 to 2002 and the Terps used a late empty-net goal for a 9-7 victory last year.

Navy is 3-1 against teams currently ranked in the USILA Top 10, losing to No. 8 Ohio State at home, but beating No. 5 North Carolina, No. 7 Georgetown and No. 9 Army on the road.

Around the Country
Net Success
Virginia junior Amy Appelt is off to a torrid start for the Cavaliers, who improved to 10-3 with a 17-6 win over Richmond on Wednesday night. Appelt recorded her 13th consecutive hat trick of the season in the game and leads the country in scoring with 75 points on 57 goals and 18 assists. Her 75 points is already the ninth best single-season output in Virginia history and she’s just eight points away from tying her career-high of 83 points which she set last year when she ranked fourth nationally in scoring while earning All-America honors.

Who's on Top
The Centennial Conference is annually one of the nation’s toughest men’s lacrosse conferences, but this year is shaping up to be one of the wildest years in recent memory. Traditional powers Washington College (3-0 in league play) and Gettysburg (2-0) top the charts, but Haverford (3-1), which hasn’t finished in the top four in the league since 1998, is in third after stunning then 10th-ranked Franklin & Marshall and hanging on for a 7-6 win over league rival Muhlenberg. Dickinson snapped a 29-game losing streak to McDaniel with a 9-8 victory on Tuesday. McDaniel is only 1-2 in the league, but beat Haverford and lost by just one to Washington. The four-team conference tournament will be held from May 7-9.

On the Move
Skidmore’s women’s team is off to a perfect 8-0 start entering a UCAA showdown at ninth-ranked William Smith this weekend. The 16th-ranked Thoroughbreds have held all eight of their opponents to single digits in goals and have won every game by at least four goals.

Shakeup at the Top
UC-Santa Barbara has moved into the top spot in the US Lacrosse Men's Division Intercollegiate Associates poll after beating defending champion and top-ranked Colorado State 10-8 during an interesting weekend in Ann Arbor, Mich., at the Michigan Invitational. Host Michigan lost to Colorado State 11-4 before bouncing back to nip UCSB 4-3. UCSB then completed the weekend by beating Colorado State to take over the No. 1 ranking. Colorado State slips to No. 2 and hosts archrival Brigham Young this weekend.

Stick Checks
Binghamton, in just its third year with a varsity men’s team, upset 19th-ranked UMBC 5-4 this week for its third straight win to improve to 4-4 for the season and a perfect 2-0 in America East...Montclair State’s Cathy Homiek, included in the "Faces in the Crowd" in this week’s Sports Illustrated, leads Division III in scoring with an average of 7.80 points per game with six goals and 33 assists through her first five games.

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Previous Notebooks

• April 2, 2004
• March 26, 2004
• March 19, 2004
• March 12, 2004
• March 5, 2004
• Feb. 27, 2004