From a fringe Top 20 team to one knocking on the door of the top three, North Carolina is up to No. 4 in this week’s USA Lacrosse Division I Men’s Top 20.
That the Tar Heels are ranked this high might come as something of a surprise given the questions surrounding them just before the season. While last year’s young team gained invaluable experience, Joe Breschi’s team is still on the youthful side.
Graduate transfers helped stabilize the roster, though, and UNC’s status as an emerging contender was perhaps secured Saturday in a 13-12 win over Johns Hopkins at Homewood Field.
Dominic Pietramala deposited six goals on the field is father used to coach on, and suddenly, nobody is sleeping on North Carolina any longer.
Elsewhere in the Top 20, four teams enter the fray: Ohio State (No. 15), Harvard (No. 16), Colgate (No. 17) and Fairfield (No. 20). This comes after a week three with unpredictable results across the country.
Continue below to see the entire Top 20, which is compiled by USA Lacrosse Magazine staff and contributors.
USA LACROSSE DIVISION I
MEN’S TOP 20
Rank | Team | W-L | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Notre Dame | 3-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Maryland | 4-0 | 3 |
| 3 | Cornell | 2-0 | 5 |
| 4 | North Carolina | 3-0 | 8 |
| 5 | Duke | 4-0 | 6 |
| 6 | Princeton | 1-1 | 2 |
| 7 | Johns Hopkins | 4-1 | 4 |
| 8 | Army | 4-0 | 10 |
| 9 | Penn State | 3-1 | 9 |
| 10 | Richmond | 3-1 | 11 |
| 11 | Georgetown | 2-2 | 12 |
| 12 | Penn | 2-1 | 15 |
| 13 | Syracuse | 3-2 | 7 |
| 14 | Denver | 2-2 | 14 |
| 15 | Ohio State | 5-1 | AC |
| 16 | Harvard | 2-1 | AC |
| 17 | Colgate | 3-2 | -- |
| 18 | Michigan | 2-2 | 20 |
| 19 | Virginia | 2-2 | 13 |
| 20 | Fairfield | 4-0 | AC |
| Also considered (alphabetical order) | |||
| AC | Boston U | 4-0 | -- |
| AC | Delaware | 2-1 | 19 |
| AC | Navy | 3-1 | 18 |
| AC | Sacred Heart | 3-1 | -- |
| AC | UAlbany | 1-2 | AC |
| AC | UMBC | 2-0 | -- |
| AC | Utah | 1-3 | AC |
| AC | Vermont | 2-1 | -- |
| AC | Villanova | 1-2 | 16 |
| AC | Yale | 0-2 | 17 |
