Now it's time to really get down to business.
There have been some strong starts and impressive play in the early going, but now things should get real interesting in the world of girls lacrosse, as teams from coast-to-coast start their league schedules in earnest.
There's one exception.
Down in the Sunshine State, Vero Beach (Fla.) concluded the regular season at 16-0 and with a 69-game win streak against in-state teams. The Fighting Irish start District 9 playoff action this week.
High-scoring Lindsay Toppe (12) and No. 14 Fox Lane face No. 20 Lakeland-Panas this week.
File photo by Jim Stout
The Trojans got goals from nine players in their most recent victory, 16-3 over Guilderland (N.Y.) (Last week's ranking: No. 1)
2. McDonogh (Owings Mills, Md.), 10-0: Brooks Lawler, a midfielder bound for Northwestern, has helped the Eagles score 15 or more goals in nine of their 10 games – the lone exception was a 13-6 win over Notre Dame Prep (Md.). (Last week's ranking: No. 4)
3. Ridgewood (N.J.), 5-0: The Maroons have an intriguing interstate test on Saturday when they play Yorktown (N.Y.). (Last week's ranking: No. 5)
4. Farmingdale (N.Y.), 5-1: The Dalers have come on strong since their season-opening loss to No. 1 Garden City. (Last week's ranking: No. 6)
5. New Trier (Winnetka, Ill.), 10-0: Taylor McGinnis and
MacKenzie Martin lead a defense that has a shutout to its credit and has allowed more than seven goals in a game just once. (Last week's ranking: No. 7)
6. St. Anthony's (Melville, N.Y.), 5-1: Shana Brady, who is headed to the University of Maryland, is the star on a defense that has been dominant since a double-overtime loss to Garden City in its second game of the season. (Last week's ranking: No. 8)
7. Vero Beach (Fla.), 16-0: Courtney Swan, a midfielder, has a shot at earning All-America honors for the third straight year for the Fighting Indians, who've won 53 straight overall. (Last week's ranking: No. 9)
8. Northport (N.Y.), 7-0: Shannon Gilroy, who scored 97 goals last season, is at it again with 69 points already. (Last week's ranking: No. 10)
9. Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.), 12-1: The Falcons lost for the first time last week, dropping a 10-6 decision to Mendham (N.J.). (Last week's ranking: No. 2)
10. Greenwich (Conn.), 3-0: Emily D'Erasmo and
Claire Feeney each had three goals in a 14-4 win over Conard. (Last week's ranking: No. 11)
11. Westborough (Mass.), 7-0: The Rangers await a big test on Thursday when they take on Duxbury (Mass.). (Last week's ranking: No. 12)
12. Wantagh (N.Y.), 8-0: Paula Schmidt, a senior midfielder, hit the 50-point mark for the season last week. (Last week's ranking: No. 13)
13. Medina (Ohio), 3-0: Sydney Thomas and
Katie Keefe have helped the Battling Bees scored 33 goals in their first three games. (Last week's ranking: No. 14)
14. Fox Lane (Bedford, N.Y.), 7-0: The Foxes await a showdown against fellow unbeaten Lakeland/Panas on Wednesday. (Last week's ranking: No. 15)
15. West Genesee (Camillus, N.Y.), 5-0: After an 11-10 victory against New Jersey power Mendham, the Wildcats picked up back-to-back 18-3 wins. (Last week's ranking: No. 16)
16. St. Stephen's & St. Agnes (Alexandria, Va.), 14-2: The Saints rebounded with back-to-back wins after seeing their 10-game win streak end with an 11-7 loss to No. 9 Good Counsel. (Last week's ranking: No. 18)
17. Alta (Sandy, Utah), 10-0: The defending state champ Hawks have won 38 straight. (Last week's ranking: No. 19)
18. Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa.), 7-1: The Patriots' loss was a 10-9 decision to No. 7 Vero Beach (Fla.). (Last week's ranking: No. 20)
19. Westwood (Mass.), 5-0: Johns Hopkins-bound midfielder
Sarah Biron has helped the Wolverines hit the 20-goal mark in each of their last three games. (Last week's ranking: Not ranked)
20. Lakeland-Panas (Shrub Oak, N.Y.), 4-0: The Rebels are riding high after back-to-back one-goal wins against John Jay (N.Y.) and Yorktown (N.Y.). (Last week's ranking: Not ranked)
Dropped out: Shoreham Wading River (N.Y.), No. 3; Yorktown (N.Y.), No. 17
Joe Lombardi writes the "Lax with Joe" blog at LaxLessons.com
and is an analyst for the MSG Varsity Television Network. He is also
the primary author of the new edition of "Lacrosse for Dummies," which
was released last year. He may be reached at joe@laxlessons.com
