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Serving the scholastic field hockey and lacrosse community since 1998May 21, 2024 — Top 10 for the week of Nov. 19
We have about a month to go in the scholastic lacrosse season, and we’ve seen a number of state finals already. This week’s finals include those for the Maryland Public High Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) which are being held over the next three days at Stevenson University.
One of the teams we thought would be there was Manchester (Md.) Valley, but Glenelg (Md.) stopped them in a tense, taut state semifinal. One game of note should be the Class 4A game on Thursday, as Annapolis Broadneck (Md.) will take on Urbana (Md.) as the Bruins will seek to win its fourth straight state final. And the thing is, the boys’ teams from Broadneck and Urbana will be playing the nightcap at Stevenson. Should be a fun evening of lacrosse.
1. South Huntington St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) 17-0
Played Oyster Bay St. Dominic (N.Y.) in the New York State Catholic High School Girls’ Athletic Association semifinal last night for a chance at the season-ending final later this week
2. Olney Good Counsel (Md.) 21-0
SEASON COMPLETE: The Falcons topped Washington St. John’s College (D.C.) last Monday in the final of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference postseason tournament; Good Counsel finishes an outstanding season scoring a Hebron-esque 18.5 goals per game
3. New Canaan (Conn.) 14-1-1
Earned an enormous win over Hingham Notre Dame Academy (Mass.) last time out
4. Garden City (N.Y.) 16-1
The Trojans take on Merrick Calhoun (N.Y.) tomorrow
5. Charlottesville St. Anne’s Belfield (Va.) 22-1
SEASON COMPLETE: Saints won the VISAA Tournament with an 8-6 win over Alexandria St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes (Va.)
6. Brooklandville St. Paul’s School for Girls (Md.) 16-5
SEASON COMPLETE: After losing four games in April, the Gators put it all together in the postseason, defeating Owings Mills McDonogh (Md.) 7-6 in a thrilling final
7. Wilton (Conn.) 11-2
The Warriors took on Darien (Conn.) last night in a rematch of their win on May 2
8. Denver Colorado Academy (Colo.) 19-0
SEASON COMPLETE: Mustangs beat Boulder Fairview (Colo.) to win its ninth consecutive CHSAA state title
9. Glenelg (Md.) 17-1
Beat previously undefeated Manchester (Md.) Valley 6-4; the Gladiators take on Centreville Queen Anne’s (Md.) today at Stevenson University
10. Rosemont Agnes Irwin (Pa.) 14-4
The Owls bested Newtown Square Episcopal Academy (Pa.) in a tense rematch of an overtime game from April
Who’s out: Manchester (Md.) Valley, 6-4 loss to Glenelg (Md.); Newtown Square Episcopal Academy (Pa.) 9-8 loss to Rosemont Agnes Irwin (Pa.)
And bear in mind: Danville San Ramon Valley (Calif.) 20-1, El Dorado Hills Oak Ridge (Calif.) 20-2, Lakeville Hotchkiss School (Conn.) 13-1, Sacred Heart Greenwich (Conn.) 13-2, Delray American Heritage (Fla.) 22-1, Orlando Lake Highland Prep (Fla.) 20-4, Owings Mills McDonogh (Md.) 17-2, Severna Park (Md.) 18-1, Annapolis Broadneck (Md.) 14-5, Hingham Notre Dame Academy (Mass.) 15-2, Summit (N.J.) 13-4, Summit Oak Knoll (N.J.) 16-4, Bayport-Blue Point (N.Y.) 15-2, Cold Spring Harbor (N.Y.) 12-4, Manhasset (N.Y.) 10-4 New Albany (Ohio) 19-0, Newtown Square Episcopal Academy (Pa.) 19-2, Radnor (Pa.) 17-2, Manheim (Pa.) Township 16-3
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May 20, 2024 — Kinship
Last Friday, I spent part of the evening not watching lacrosse, but at a gathering celebrating an Internet journalist named Paul Lukas.
Lukas has turned a weekly column on sports uniforms, first published in the Village Voice 25 years ago this week, into a wondrous body of work spanning not only uniforms, but other kinds of aesthetics, including vintage tin cans, old report cards, various business catalogs, and a kind of dwelling called a “Futuro.”
This week is the last for Lukas as a contributor/editor/Grand Poohbah of the Uni-verse, as he is turning over the publication of the site to others and starting on other projects.
I feel kind of a kinship with Lukas, in that we both started our journeys a quarter-century ago, with micro-focused content and having to be extremely mobile in terms of hosting and distribution as the markets for field hockey, lacrosse, and women’s sports have changed and grown over the years.
There have been times when these worlds have collided: Dartmouth’s field hockey throwback jerseys of a few years ago being a prime example. Another time, we saw some of the uniforms worn by some of the Seven Sisters colleges when playing basketball under the rules of the early 20th Century.
The theme of the day was the Purp Walk, which was fittingly held in Baltimore, where the city’s popular football team wears purple jerseys at home.
Part of the day was also devoted to the celebration of a particular municipal quirk in Baltimore: the salt box, a service of the Baltimore Department of Transportation. Salt boxes serve as a distribution network for the city to get rock salt to people in order to spread as needed to melt icy patches on city streets, sidewalks, and the ever-present marble stairs in front of many homes in town. Salt boxes have become a local outlet for artists to stretch their creativity, making kaleidoscopic varieties of outer decorations for these usually ephemeral wooden boxes.
That’s the kind of aesthetics that Lukas, and his readers, have been gobbling up over the last quarter-century.
And I’ve been lucky to be one of his daily readers.
May 19, 2024 — But can anyone stop Middlebury?
The Division III NCAA women’s lacrosse tournament is the last one to identify its national semifinalists, as the four quarterfinals took place this afternoon.
All four saw favored blue-blood sides make it to next week’s Final Four in Salem, Va. Franklin & Marshall, which has made its fourth national semifinal in the last dozen years, has qualified. So has William Smith, which has made its second straight national semifinal, albeit it has never won. Also making the last four is Salisbury, which has won three national titles in the last 11 years.
But the team that everyone has been chasing all year (nay, the last three) is Middlebury College. The Panthers have won three national championships in the last four years, and are set for another title. Middlebury is 21-0 on the season, which includes today’s 16-1 win over Pomona-Pfitzer.
I thought Pomoma-Pfitzer was going to post a stiff challenge to Middlebury, not only because of the way they beat Ithaca College in the octofinals, but because the coaching staff for the Sagehens recruit nationwide, everywhere from traditional areas like Maryland and Long Island, but from some of the up-and-coming areas like Minnesota, Florida, Utah, Oregon, and Washington.
I also thought the team would break through for coaches Sarah and Sylvia Queener, who are from one of the nation’s best lacrosse coaching families.
Pomona-Pfitzer did score the first goal this afternoon. But unfortunately for them, the Panthers would score a dozen goals before the interval, including six power-play goals. It was too much for the Sagehens to come back from.
We’ll see, later this week, whether Middlebury is able to win its third consecutive national championship in field hockey, to go with the three straight that the women’s lacrosse team has won.
May 18, 2024 — A new national champion will be crowned
The NCAA Division II women’s lacrosse team will hit its denouement next Saturday in Winter Park, Fla. But after today’s play, none of the teams designated as a No. 1 regional seed — including defending national champion Pace — made it through.
Instead, the Final Four in Division II will include #3 seed East Stroudsburg (a 13-12 win over West Chester), #3 seed Regis University (a 10-9 win over Maryville), a #2 seed Tampa (winning 11-9 over Florida Southern), and #2 seed Adelphi (a 13-10 win over Pace).
The NCAA has re-seeded the four Final Four participants, putting Adelphi as the top seed for Thursday’s national semifinal against East Stroudsburg in a meeting of two teams from the Northeast U.S.
The other semifinal features Regis and Tampa — a team from Colorado and a team from Florida — in a matchup of two teams from non-traditional areas. One of these two is going to be in the national final next Saturday.
That’s a pretty amazing development for the sport of lacrosse.
May 17, 2024 — Friday Statwatch for games played through May 15
“Hey, wait,” you may be thinking as you read the red type below. “Didn’t you just write about Caroline Ling breaking the record for career goals in a four-year career?” Yep, true. But note that we always do Statwatch as of games the previous Wednesday. Still, it doesn’t prevent us from extolling the virtues of the Rutgers-bound senior attacking midfielder.
Ling and her Springboro (Ohio) teammates would have to have a magical run through the state tournament for her to attain the all-time lead in combined goals and assists in a four-year career, which is held by Corinne Wessels. She would need to be in on 66 scoring plays over the next couple of weeks (and, of course, to survive and advance) in order for that record to be hers. But the state title is the ultimate goal.
So, what you see below are numbers from available published sources, including MaxPreps, Berks Game Day, the KHSAA, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, PhillyLacrosse, and Advance Media.
Given the changing publishing models when it comes to newspapers, I encourage every school, league, or state governing body to adopt the easy-to-use MaxPreps.com platform, and we encourage you to get your fellow teams to enter their information there as well as whichever is your local news site, so that we can aim for as complete a statistical picture of American girls’ lacrosse as possible.
GOALS SCORED, SEASON
163 Caroline Ling, Springboro (Ohio)
142 Morgan Siglin, Greenville Wade Hampton (S.C.)
135 Riley Sterling, Palo Alto Castilleja (Calif.)
132 Mackenzie Farley, San Juan Capistrano St. Margaret’s (Calif.)
130 Caydn Elsmann, Hummelstown Lower Duaphin (Pa.)
129 Addy Haines, Gahanna Lincoln (Ohio)
122 Lilly Rauch, Buffalo (N.Y.) Seminary
118 Vanni Intini, Fayetteville (N.Y.) Academy
118 Natalie Boecke, Pittsboro Northwood (N.C.)
114 Ryann Frechette, St. John’s Bartram Trail (Fla.)
112 Gianni Frieri, Lockport (Ill.) Township
112 Maya Ciocian, Ashville T.C. Robertson (N.C.)
112 Ashley Cotter, St. Augustine Tocoi Creek (Fla.)
112 Katie Bullen, York (Pa.) Catholic
112 Scarlett Gilner, Chapel Hill (N.C.)
ASSISTS, SEASON
99 Jenna Balousek, Concord Carondelet (Calif.)
96 Taylor McGovern, Parkland Marjory Stoneman Douglas (Fla.)
94 Kayla Nguyen, Cary Green Hope (N.C.)
90 Maddisen Selvage, Pawley’s Island Waccamau (S.C.)
89 Morgan Gilbert, Reading Exeter (Pa.)
87 Julia Frosch, Pensacola (Fla.) Catholic
85 Rocquette Allen, Highlands Ranch ThunderRidge (Colo.)
82 Lauren Blackburn, Louisville Eastern (Ky.)
76 Ava Goldson, Mary Institute-Country Day School (Mo.)
71 Lauren Hayden, Newport Croatan (N.C.)
71 Addie Gilner, Chapel Hill (N.C.)
67 Dylan Yonover, Louisville Kentucky Country Day School (Ky.)
66 Isabelle John, Wake Forest (N.C.)
GOALS SCORED, CAREER
536 Caroline Ling, Springboro (Ohio)
464 Ryann Frechette, St. John’s Bartram Trail (Fla.)
403 Kylee Ferranto, Haddon Heights (N.J.)
315 Sophia Devaney, Jackson (N.J.) Memorial
310 Alexis Rodell, Randolph (N.J.)
264 Morgan Siglin, Greenville Wade Hampton (S.C.)
ASSISTS, CAREER
262 Hanna Watson, Abesecon Holy Spirit (N.J.)
244 Taylor McGovern, Parkland Margery Stoneman Douglas (Fla.)
COMBINED GOALS AND ASSISTS, CAREER
688 Caroline Ling, Springboro (Ohio)
627 Ryann Frechette, St. John’s Bartram Trail (Fla.)
512 Hanna Watson, Absecon Holy Spirit (N.J.)
492 Kylee Ferranto, Haddon Heights (N.J.)
462 Taylor McGovern, Parkland Margery Stoneman Douglas (Fla.)
432 Sydney Mulroony, Morristown Morris Hills (N.J.)
405 Tessa Caputo, Princeton (N.J.) Day School
394 Sophia Devaney, Jackson (N.J.) Memorial
385 Alyson Sojak, Barnegat (N.J.)
359 Teagan Scott, Mount Pleasant Oceanside Collegiate Academy (S.C.)
ACTIVE COACHING VICTORIES
868 Kathy Jenkins|
521 Lisa Lindley
470 Chris Robinson
Your turn: if you see something out of place, feel free to send an email to us at TopOfTheCircle.com. Send us some evidence (a website will do), and we can make corrections. I thank you, gentle readers for dropping in this week and we’ll have updates in seven days.
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BULLETIN: May 16, 2024 — The national four-year career goal-scoring mark has fallen
This evening, with a 10-goal effort against Morrow Little Miami (Ohio) in the first round of the Ohio High School Athletic Association tournament, Caroline Ling has surpassed Sophia Turchetta’s all-time four-year goal-scoring mark in girls’ lacrosse. She now has 546 goals in her career, surpassing the previous mark of 545 by Fran Frieri of Lockport (Ill.). The only person with more goals is Sophia Turchetta of Harvard Bromfield (Mass.), who had 654 goals in a six-year varsity career.
Ling, last year’s national scoring champion, is also the current national leader in goals with 173. The future Rutgers University athlete also became the fifth known scholastic lacrosse player to have amassed 700 combined goals and assists in a career of any length.
Springboro advances in the OHSAA Division I tournament to play tomorrow’s winner between Liberty Lakota East (Ohio) and Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame (Ohio) in the regional quarterfinals. That game is tentatively scheduled for next Wednesday.
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May 16, 2024 — Excellence, yes. But balance?
I’m writing this about five minutes after Northwestern beat Pennsylvania 20-7 in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse tournament.
But if you look at the scores of the four games, you’ll see a huge disparity between the winning and losing teams. Here is a list of the largest margin during the four games today:
| Largest Margin | ||
| Florida | 9 | Maryland |
| Boston College | 8 | Michigan |
| Syracuse | 11 | Yale |
| Northwestern | 15 | Pennsylvania |
None of the games were close. And I really didn’t see that coming.
Why? I’m of the belief that there is more and greater diversity and parity in the sport than there used to be. You look at the last four in the NCAA Tournament, and all four of these programs were founded in 1992 or later (mind you, Northwestern’s varsity program did have a nearly 10-year gap in its history in the 1990s after the school dropped the sport).
However, when you look at the history of the sport, you have had exactly seven different schools winning the Division I title since 1991. It certainly is a story of the haves and the have-nots in women’s lacrosse.
There is a chance that there might be a first-time national champion crowned next weekend at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. But it’s not guaranteed; Syracuse and Florida have been achingly close in their Final Four appearances. I’ve always believed that this year’s Syracuse side has the necessary tools, tactics, and motivation to win the national final.
But I’ll tell you what — next Friday’s Florida-Northwestern game ought to be a dandy. Florida has won 20 games in a row, and Northwestern is your defending national titlist with the best player in the country, Izzy Scane.
It should be an awesome Final Four, but given the mismatches today, it should be easy to have more competitive games.
May 15, 2024 — The other 24 games this weekend
For sure, a lot of attention is going to be heaped on the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse tournament, as four tickets will be punched to the national semifinals, and four teams will go home.
But there will be 24 equally gripping and meaningful games in college lacrosse starting tomorrow. Those games will be the octofinal and quarterfinal rounds of the NCAA Division II and Division III championships.
If there are five games you need to watch over the next three days, here are some suggestions — including some that are purely speculative:
Division II octofinal: Maryville vs. Indianapolis. This game, scneduled for tomorrow, should be a donnybrook. One year ago, Indy ended Maryville’s season with consecutive losses in the GLVC and NCAA tournaments. This year, the teams have already split two games, and this third one is as high-stakes as it gets.
Division II quarterfinal (depending on results): Pace vs. Adelphi. Both of these teams have been at the summit in Division II in recent year, and the Setters are your defending champions. Adelphi, which won the last of its nine titles in 2019, is looking for a return to the Final Four.
Division III octofinal: William Smith vs. Gettysburg. This game, being held on Saturday, is a dream matchup of former champions. This also is a rematch of a national semfinal from a year ago, when Gettysburg won 15-10.
Division III octofinal: Washington & Lee vs. Christopher Newport. These two Virginia schools have crossed swords over the years, with Newport winning 15 of the first 16 meetings. However, the Generals won the season-opener in February. This game will end one or the other’s season.
Division III quarterfinal (depending on results): Middlebury vs. Ithaca. If these two sides meet up on Sunday, it could be better than the final. Ithaca is 18-1 on the season, and Middlebury is the two-time defending title-holder at 19-0. It would be worth a look if you have a chance.
May 14, 2024 — Top 10 for the week of May 12
I hope you all don’t have a case of The Mondays today, since, as per usual, our rankings take into account only games through Sunday. There were a lot of teams playing important games yesterday, and those results will figure into next week’s rankings.
There are some championships coming down the pike this weekend, and I think the most interesting one is the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA) large-school title match. The top seed is Charlottesville St. Anne’s Belfield (Va.), a team with a lot of skill and size, but this year has the motivation of trying to win the 2024 title after losing in the final a year ago. Last year’s champions, Chantilly Paul VI (Va.), is the sixth seed and will have to beat Alexandria Bishop Ireton (Va.) to get into the semifinals.
1. South Huntington St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) 15-0
Finished their regular season yesterday against Cold Spring Harbor (N.Y.)
2. Olney Good Counsel (Md.) 20-0
The Falcons played Washington St. John’s College (D.C.) yesterday in the final of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference postseason tournament
3. New Canaan (Conn.) 12-1-1
Sent a loud message with their 12-4 win over Wilton (Conn.) last Thursday
4. Manchester (Md.) Valley 15-0
After an 8-6 win over Sykesville Century (Md.) the Mavericks will take on Bel Air C. Mlton Wright (Md.) in the state quarterfinals; a showdown with Glenelg (Md.) could be the reward in the state semis
5. Garden City (N.Y.) 15-1
The Trojans beat Manhasset (N.Y.) 8-7 in a classic battle, then bested Massapequa (N.Y.) at the weekend
6. Newtown Square Episcopal Academy (Pa.) 18-1
The Churchwomen have an enormous match today against Rosemond Agnes Irwin (Pa.)
7. Charlottesville St. Anne’s Belfield (Va.) 19-1
Saints won the League of Independent School (LIS) final last Saturday and take on Richmond St. Catherine’s in opening-round play in the VISAA Tournament
8. Brooklandville St. Paul’s School for Girls (Md.) 16-5
SEASON COMPLETE: After losing four games in April, the Gators put it all together in the postseason, defeating Owings Mills McDonogh (Md.) 7-6 in a thrilling final
9. Wilton(Conn.) 12-1
The Warriors have the No. 2 seed in the upcoming FCIAC Tournament despite its loss to New Canaan
10. Denver Colorado Academy (Colo.) 17-0
Mustangs draw Highlands Ranch Valor Christian (Colo) today in the next round of the CHSAA tournament.
Who’s out: Owings Mills McDonogh (Md.) 7-6 loss to Brooklandville St. Paul’s School for Girls
And bear in mind: Danville San Ramon Valley (Calif.) 20-1, El Dorado Hills Oak Ridge (Calif.) 20-2, Lakeville Hotchkiss School (Conn.) 12-0, Sacred Heart Greenwich (Conn.) 11-2, Delray American Heritage (Fla.) 22-1, Orlando Lake Highland Prep (Fla.) 20-4, Owings Mills McDonogh (Md.) 17-2, Hingham Notre Dame Academy (Mass.) 15-0, Summit (N.J.) 11-4, Summit Oak Knoll (N.J.) 12-4, Bayport-Blue Point (N.Y.) 14-2, Cold Spring Harbor (N.Y.) 12-4, Manhasset (N.Y.) 9-4 New Albany (Ohio) 18-0, Radnor (Pa.) 16-2, Manheim (Pa.) Township 16-3
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May 13, 2024 — Unequal judgments
Two Fridays ago, the University of Pennsylvania was the beneficiary of a red card issued to Princeton defensive midfielder Samantha DeVito. The decision was originally a yellow card for a cross-check to a Penn attacker, but after a few seconds, the umpire signaled the sending off of the Princeton player.
The angle of the check was, if you oriented the Quaker player towards the goal, at about 8 o’clock. It wasn’t a particularly egregious foul but it did stop an attack. In other sports, these kinds of fouls are sanctioned with a bit more severity. In soccer, it would have been a professional foul, punishable by a yellow card. In pro basketball, it is now called a take foul, punishable with free throws and possession. In field hockey, it’s a breakdown foul and is cardable, if not punishable by a penalty stroke depending on the circumstances.
A week later, in Florida’s win over North Carolina, a clip shared widely on social media shows a UNC player, in trying to escape close marking, swing her stick and hitting her defender in the torso while the ball was going around the perimeter. The UNC player was not carded.
Sport is in an era of second-guessing and re-refereeing, where, on occasion, people in a room in front of video screens are making crucial decisions which determine the outcome of a game. The thing is, the game officials — the people actually on the pitch watching over the action — know this.
I remember a story in which an NFL official was making a close call of some kind, but as he was marking the spot of the ball, he said to one of his colleagues, “That’s going upstairs.”
The original “eye in the sky” system, where any play could be reviewed upstairs, resulted in an average of 12.6 percent of reviewed calls overturned. The number was slightly more than two per game between 1986 and 1991.
Currently, the NCAA does not have video replay in women’s lacrosse. It was only allowed beginning last year, and only for conference play. It also would not have been implemented in either of the two scenarios delineated above.
One would hope that, in future, a video official might be able to help the on-field umpires in these kinds of situations to make decisions more consistent across the ever-changing landscape of women’s lacrosse.
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