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Lax Power's MD1 Forum Poll Released March
24, 2003 
March 24, 2003
LaxPower Forum Poll
Men's Division I
03/24/03 |
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
1st |
Previous |
| 1 |
Johns Hopkins |
276 |
(11) |
4 |
| 2 |
Virginia |
264 |
(2) |
1 |
| 3 |
Princeton |
248 |
|
6 |
| 4 |
Georgetown |
230 |
|
5 |
| 5 |
Syracuse |
225 |
|
2 |
| 6 |
Massachusetts |
216 |
(1) |
7 |
| 7 |
Maryland |
185 |
|
3 |
| 8 |
North Carolina |
178 |
|
13 |
| 9 |
Loyola |
163 |
|
10 |
| 10 |
Rutgers |
160 |
|
9 |
| 11 |
Duke |
144 |
|
8 |
| 12 |
Navy |
112 |
|
11t |
| 13 |
Hofstra |
95 |
|
15 |
| 14 |
Cornell |
89 |
|
16 |
| 15 |
Notre Dame |
85 |
|
11t |
| 16 |
UMBC |
57 |
|
RV |
| 17 |
Towson |
56 |
|
17t |
| 18 |
Yale |
37 |
|
14 |
| 19 |
Ohio State |
30 |
|
17t |
| 20 |
Villanova |
29 |
|
19 |
Received votes: Bucknell (20), Hobart (14),
Penn State (13), Pennsylvania (9), Army (4),
Dartmouth (1) |
Number of voters: 14 (Artful Dodger, Baldo,
ColumbiaBlueBlack, DALaxDad, HU34, John Henry,
Laximus, LynahFan, Schizoid, surferlax, timbucthree,
TomL, WNY Lax, Wombat) |
Pollster Comments
Johns Hopkins:
Beat Virginia at Homewood head-to-head. Result
might have been different at Klockner. (Artful
Dodger) — Blue Jays beat #1 but, more
important, held the Cavs scoreless for more
than an entire half! (ColumbiaBlueBlack) —
They will be tougher to beat from now on.
(Laximus) — #1 - if this team ever learns
to play 60 minutes, watch out! (timbucthree)
— Don't understand inability to put opponents
away, but #1 for now. (WNY Lax) — What
a shake up in the polls this week. JHU climbs
to #1 by virtue of their close win over UVa
combined with losses by Maryland and Syracuse.
Wow, and this is only March. But here is the
burning question for JHU: When are the Jays
going to play a solid third quarter? The Jays
have yet to play a complete 60 minute game
against top competition. Outscored in the
third quarter 0-4 vs. Princeton, 1-5 vs. Syracuse,
and 2-5 vs. Virginia. This is a habit the
Jays must break before May, or they may find
themselves taking an early exit from the playoffs.
(Wombat)
Virginia: Would not be wrong to put
Virginia at #1 spot since they beat Syracuse
in the Dome and Princeton at home (cf. JHU
72 thesis on home field advantage). (Artful
Dodger) — Who said low scoring games
aren't exciting? OK, maybe it was dull for
the WWF fans who have no taste for strategy,
defense, execution, and tension. (ColumbiaBlueBlack)
— Just when you think they can't lose
... (Laximus) — #2 - UVa showed their
metal with the 2nd half comeback at Hopkins.
(timbucthree) — Questions on their depth
are legit, but they are very talented. (WNY
Lax) — Falls to #2. Why did UVa lose
to JHU? Three words: Poor shot selection.
Way too many UVa shots were forced from long
range, resulting in easy saves for Rob Scherr.
The Hoos' success on offense needs to come
more from assists and creation of more inside
shots. Still, they are solid - they just have
room for improvement, and like JHU learned
last week after their Syracuse loss, the Hoos
will learn more from this JHU loss than if
they had squeaked out another win. (Wombat)
Princeton: Win over Syracuse says they
are back. (Artful Dodger) — Winning in
Dome got Virginia underway. Will it do the
same for Tigers? The win moves them up, and
the hard part of the schedule is over. (ColumbiaBlueBlack)
— Ivy team is starting to fire on all
cylinders. (Laximus) — #3 - toss up between
Princeton and SU for #3; I'll take defense.
(timbucthree) — Big away win for Tigers
after losing two close ones at home. (WNY
Lax) — Up from #7 to #4 this week for
me, and prospects for a #1 thru #4 seed in
the NCAA have gotten a lot better. They are
now primed and ready to start Ivy League play
but first must take care of Rutgers in the
battle of New Jersey. (Wombat)
Georgetown: Like UMass, still undefeated,
but doesn't have the scope of offensive weapons.
Can't wait for that game. (Artful Dodger)
— OT win at home over only top 10-ish
team on schedule to date is not good enough
to hold onto #5 slot. (ColumbiaBlueBlack)
— They started strong and have stayed
focused. (Laximus) — #5 - I suspect this
is an overrating; I'm tempted to place them
#7, just ahead of Duke, but they are undefeated.
(timbucthree) — Actually thought they
would do better vs. Duke. (WNY Lax) —
I move GT up from #5 to #3 this week. I am
not quite sure if this team really is stronger
than Princeton and Syracuse, but I have a
hard time ranking an undefeated team like
Georgetown that has a lot of solid convincing
wins behind two teams that both have two losses.
(Wombat)
Syracuse: Still wouldn't bet that they
won't be there on Memorial Day. (Artful Dodger)
— Another home loss on a come from behind!
A 3rd 1-goal game at home! (ColumbiaBlueBlack)
— Cuse will make the playoffs but might
have a couple of losses left. (Laximus) —
#4 - this defense can be had and is the difference
between this year and last. (timbucthree)
— Only MD's loss kept them in the top
4. If they can't beat top teams at home, they
have problems. D has problems. (WNY Lax) —
Falls from #3 to #5. Do not fear SU fans.
A fine 3-2 record with two tough 1-goal losses.
The unfortunate part for Cuse is that BOTH
of those games were at home and might have
cost them a #1-#4 seed in the process. However,
with no byes this year, that is not too big
of a deal. (Wombat)
Massachusetts: Undefeated and reeling
off some scores. Even if they lose to Georgetown,
which I don't think they will, I predict they
will be in the NCAAs. (Artful Dodger) —
Undefeated but still no games against top
10 opponents, and only 1 game against a top
15 team. Weak schedule downgrades wins to
date, but it's a nice way to practice. The
test is yet to come. (ColumbiaBlueBlack) —
Tougher competition will show if they are
as good as they look. (Laximus) — #10
- Up one spot with win over HU. Undefeated
but untested. LaxPower PR ranking of average
opponent to date is 29.3. Not enough to warrant
higher ranking. (timbucthree) — Not to
look ahead, but the Syracuse game will be
huge. (WNY Lax) — Second of three undefeated
teams left, holding at a rank of #6 for me
this week. Only major win is against Navy,
so I cannot rank this team over Princeton
or Syracuse this week. Princeton leapfrogged
them. (Wombat)
Maryland: I would have lost the house
on their loss to UNC, but hey, there is still
plenty of meat on the schedule for them to
redeem themselves. (Artful Dodger) —
Ran into a hot goalie, but what happened to
the much (?over?)hyped defense in Q3? Md gave
up 3 emo goals, lost face-offs 10-4 in 2d
half. (ColumbiaBlueBlack) — See the North
Carolina comment by Laximus. (Laximus) —
#7 - UNC exposed some weakness. Maybe the
defense is not the best in the country. Offense
clearly needs some work. (timbucthree) —
Has UNC gotten that much better, or did MD
fail to respect them? (WNY Lax) — A big
fall, from #2 to #8, and the simple reason
is because they lost by so much (four goals)
to UNC. If they had lost a close one, I'd
probably have the Terps in my Top 6 or so.
But a four-goal loss at home is inexcusable.
Sounds like Md got stymied by a hot goalie,
and the Turtle went into its shell. Things
don't get any better next week with Butler
first and then Virginia on the road. (Wombat)
North Carolina: Last week I said the
next four games will make or break the season.
Wins over Duke and Maryland show that they
are awakening. The next two separate the men
from the boys, so to speak. (Artful Dodger)
— 25 saves?!! Impressive wins against
blood rivals only 3 days apart move the Heels
up to #8 despite early season woes. (ColumbiaBlueBlack)
— What a crazy ACC! (Laximus) —
#6 - up from #13 last week based on solid
wins over UMD and Duke in the course of 4
days. This is a dangerous team - Blue Jay's
beware! (timbucthree) — Huge win that
might turn season around, but can they do
it again? (WNY Lax) — Wow, what a week,
beating handily both Duke and Maryland. Since
I rely on head-to-head performance heavily
in the earlier parts of the season, this vaults
UNC on my board up from #14 and on the ropes
all the way up to #7. What a turnaround. Haus
is to be commended for getting the Heels turned
around, just in time. (Wombat)
Loyola: And they lost to Duke! (Artful
Dodger) — Unimpressive win over a very
young Bruno squad, but an improving team with
holes in its lineup. And they beat ND in SB.
(ColumbiaBlueBlack) — Can they even out
the bumps? (Laximus) — #9 - Single loss
to Duke, beat Brown handily as they should
this weekend. (timbucthree) — Another
team I think will drop a little before season
end. (WNY Lax) — Stays at #9 this week.
Loyola has quietly put together a nice 5-1
record, posting some big scores, with good
wins over ND and Hofstra, and the only blemish
being a very poor outing in their first road
game of the season against Duke. (Wombat)
Rutgers: Another undefeated ECAC team
that deserves great respect and might wind
up higher still in the rankings. (Artful Dodger)
— What is true for Mass is much more
so for Rutgers, but no losses is still undefeated.
(ColumbiaBlueBlack) — See the Massachusetts
comment by Laximus. (Laximus) — #12 -
Unimpressive victory over Vermont. Reality
will most likely catch up with them this coming
week. Down two spots. (timbucthree) —
I don't expect them to finish this high, but
for now they are here. (WNY Lax) — Stays
at #10 for me - I cannot simply rank them
much higher at the moment. I had them around
#17 a few weeks ago and vaulted them to #10
after the Navy win. The next major hurdle
is Princeton, and I fear that this will end
the party, eliminating the Knights from the
undefeated ranks (which is amazing - think
of it - 4 weekends into the season, and there
are only 3 undefeated teams left, and Rutgers
is one of them. A team that was 2-12 last
year!) If Rutgers can knock off the Tigers,
I will be moving Rutgers up to the Top 5.
No kidding. (Wombat)
Duke: Looks like beating Duke is not
a quality win. (Artful Dodger) — As close
as it can get against Gtown especially after
tough loss to UNC, but no cigar. Getting stomped
by UNC really hurts the ranking. Hate to put
the Dukies at #9, but I can't decide who else
gets the slot because they've beaten the lower
ranked teams. (ColumbiaBlueBlack) — See
Maryland comment by Laximus. (Laximus) —
#8 - Close game at Georgetown. The best 3-loss
team in the country. (timbucthree) —
Looking more like the Duke of a few years
ago than a newer Duke. (WNY Lax) — Falls
from #8 to #12 on my books. An 0-2 week. Looks
like Swami sold his soul to the Blue Devils
for nothing. I am starting to wonder if Hofstra
will hand them another butt kicking at the
end of the season. (Wombat)
Navy: Won't win the ECAC, but any team
that plays UMass to a pipe has my vote. The
remainder of the season critical to an at-large
bid. It won't be easy going! (Artful Dodger)
— A tough bunch that is getting better.
Loss to Rutgers holds them down. (ColumbiaBlueBlack)
— #13 - Beat Stony Brook as they should.
5th of 6th ECAC team in the top 20. (timbucthree)
— Holding in place at #11 for me. The
key game to retaining a shot at the ECAC AQ
is coming up next weekend - at home vs. Georgetown.
Navy often loses some close ones, but they
absolutely MUST win against Georgetown to
make a statement when it comes to consideration
by the selection committee. (Wombat)
Hofstra: With a young team, you beat
Notre Dame and then get blown out by UMass.
(Artful Dodger) — Top 5 teams are a toss
up; bottom 6 — Bucknell, UMBC, Towson,
Penn, Cornell, and Hofstra — are a toss
up. (ColumbiaBlueBlack) — Can the young
talent regroup? (Laximus) — #15 - Surprisingly
beat Notre Dame and a loss to a better UMass
team. Up one spot. (timbucthree) — Bad
loss to UMass, but a good win over ND - this
keeps Hofstra from falling too far from #12
to #13. (Wombat)
Cornell: I'm still making them pay
for their loss to Hofstra. This team is better
than they've shown. (Artful Dodger) —
Top 5 teams are a toss up; bottom 6 —
Bucknell, UMBC, Towson, Penn, Cornell, and
Hofstra — are a toss up. (ColumbiaBlueBlack)
— Another Ivy team starting to fire on
all cylinders. (Laximus) — #17 - Good
win over Yale. Like UNC, looking better as
the season goes on. Up one spot. (timbucthree)
— Cornell is rebounding nicely from a
rough start, climbing from #15 to #14, and
stuck here behind Hofstra due to their bad
loss to the Pride earlier. (Wombat)
Notre Dame: If Berger keeps it up,
Notre Dame will rise in the polls. Loss to
Femminella unfortunate. They need to work
on their crease defense. (Artful Dodger) —
That Hofstra loss, even if on the road, hurts.
(ColumbiaBlueBlack) — Looking good for
the next couple of weeks. (Laximus) —
#16 - A team with talent, but also suffers
from schizophrenia. Apparently it is a disease
of the young. Down 7 spots. (timbucthree)
— Down two notches from #13 to #15 this
week - tough loss to Hofstra, which ranks
them here in the mid-teens. ND will be tough
as they enter their GWLL schedule. (Wombat)
UMBC: Don't take this team for granted.
Contest against Rutgers should be exciting
and will test the mettle of the Retrievers.
(Artful Dodger) — Top 5 teams are a toss
up; bottom 6 — Bucknell, UMBC, Towson,
Penn, Cornell, and Hofstra — are a toss
up. (ColumbiaBlueBlack) — #11 - Looking
to be real, with solid wins over PSU, Dartmouth,
and a good showing against GT. (timbucthree)
— One vote for Zim's coaching ability.
(WNY Lax) — Up from #23 to #18 on my
list, with two solid wins over Dartmouth and
Penn State this past week. Has a chance to
do damage to Rutgers on the road this week,
and they need every ECAC win they can get.
(Wombat)
Towson: They need to win the Colonial,
but that won't be so easy. (Artful Dodger)
— Top 5 teams are a toss up; bottom 6
— Bucknell, UMBC, Towson, Penn, Cornell,
and Hofstra — are a toss up. (ColumbiaBlueBlack)
— #20 - back into my top 20 this week
with a win, however unimpressive over Delaware.
(timbucthree) — Up one notch from #17
to #16. Towson is the only sub .500 team in
my top 20, but they are dangerous. They could
use a major win against Loyola or JHU to help
propel their chances of an at-large bid as
a bit of an insurance policy in case they
don't win the CAA AQ. (Wombat)
Yale: #19 - down five spots with loss
to Cornell. (timbucthree)
Ohio State: Get past Delaware (don't
take them for granted) and bring on Notre
Dame. That should also be a great game. (Artful
Dodger) — Beating Army, even if the Cadets
might be a bit distracted right now, is worth
more than Bucknell teams with a combined 1-11
record. (ColumbiaBlueBlack) — Big win
over Army gives them some momentum, rising
from #22 to #19 on my books. Next up Delaware,
and then the GWLL stretch drive. (Wombat)
Villanova: They will contend for the
CAA. Near defeat of Duke did not surprise
me. (Artful Dodger) — #14 - 5-1 record
and allowing only 4.2 goals per game. Up one
spot. (timbucthree)
Bucknell: Top 5 teams are a toss up;
bottom 6 — Bucknell, UMBC, Towson, Penn,
Cornell, and Hofstra — are a toss up.
(ColumbiaBlueBlack) — #18 - stomped Holy
Cross as expected. (timbucthree)
Hobart: Tuesday is a "coming of age"
game for the Statesmen, then bring on the
Bison. The latter game is a toss-up, but Hobart
will win at the face-off "X". (Artful Dodger)
— 3-0 in the Patriot and rising from
#26 to #20 for me. I had them a bit low last
week, as I was trying to give some recognition
for some early season success to other teams
like Dartmouth that were undefeated at the
time. Hobart could give SU a bit of a test
in a mid-week game this week, and then they
need to run the table in the Patriot. Other
teams on my list, not quite making the top
20 this week were: #21 Villanova (only blemish
is a 1-goal loss to Duke), #22 Bucknell (two
ACC losses), #23 Yale, #24 Dartmouth, and
#25 Army. Plus one note: The most aggravated
and disappointed team in D1 right now has
to be Penn State, which is 1-5 with a tough
schedule, and they have lost the five games
by a total of mere EIGHT goals. Too bad the
ECAC doesn't have a tourney to determine the
AQ. (Wombat)
Pennsylvania: Top 5 teams are a toss
up; bottom 6 — Bucknell, UMBC, Towson,
Penn, Cornell, and Hofstra — are a toss
up. (ColumbiaBlueBlack) — Up one notch
for me from #18 to #17. A solid win against
Harvard - Voelker may be able to prime this
team into an upset or two in the Ivy this
year. (Wombat)
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