Let’s not overthink this: Notre Dame shouldn’t tumble far in anyone’s esteem after its 11-10 loss to Maryland in Atlanta.
That the Fighting Irish are the two-time defending national champions doesn’t matter for this ranking exercise, since it’s a new season. Coaches certainly love “the past is the past” mantra, so let’s forget about it for a moment.
Here’s what Notre Dame just did: It became the first team to get to 10 goals against the undefeated Terrapins and had a chance to force overtime until Logan McNaney stopped Chris Kavanagh’s shot with 23 seconds to go.
It’s about as much as could be hoped for in a 1-v-2 showdown between programs with strong, disciplined identities. And as long as Maryland keeps rolling along, the Irish remain tethered right behind them.
Patrick Stevens is a longtime USA Lacrosse Magazine contributor. This is his weekly submission to the USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Top 20.
PATRICK STEVENS' TOP 20
1. Maryland (5-0)
The Terrapins’ standard is built on consistency, and it’s been on display for the first five Saturdays of the season. Maryland has picked off Syracuse, Princeton and Notre Dame in its last three games, and Logan McNaney’s 16 saves helped the Terps overcome a possession deficit and hand the Irish a rare loss. Maryland is a worthy new No. 1. (Last week: 2)
2. Notre Dame (3-1)
The Irish went 370 days between losses, and very nearly erased a three-goal deficit in the fourth quarter of a neutral-site loss to Maryland. Saturday’s result means the Irish won’t go undefeated this season, and their 17-game winning streak is over. Anything else, besides flipping Notre Dame and the Terps in the 1-2 equation, is an overreaction. (LW: 1)
3. Princeton (3-1)
The Tigers swept their Tobacco Road trip. That, paired with an opening triumph at Penn State, will ensure there are no questions come May about Princeton’s ability to play well away from home. (LW: 5)
4. Cornell (4-0)
The Big Red crushed Hobart, then traveled to Richmond and slipped past the Spiders 12-11 after trailing by as many as five (and 11-8 in the fourth quarter). Cornell isn’t invulnerable, but winning a relatively low-scoring game against a team with a firm identity will serve Connor Buczek’s bunch well down the road. (LW: 3)
5. North Carolina (4-1)
The Tar Heels earned an Ivy League split, hammering Penn on Friday before a taut loss to Princeton on Sunday. They’ll get Hofstra, Jacksonville, High Point and Army this month before playing their entire ACC slate in April. (LW: 4)
6. Johns Hopkins (5-1)
Give the Blue Jays time, and they’ll find an answer somewhere on their roster. Russell Melendez goes down? Sophomore Charlie Iler can deliver a goal and two assists at Virginia after running two shifts in his first season-plus at Hopkins. The Blue Jays aren’t always dominant, but they’re usually dangerous. (LW: 6)
7. Army (5-0)
The Black Knights brushed aside Lafayette 15-5 in their Patriot League opener to improve to 43-0 all-time against the Leopards. The gap between Army’s top-ranked scoring defense (4.8 per game) and No. 2 Michigan (7.0) is the same as the gap between the Wolverines and No. 26 Drexel (9.2). (LW: 8)
8. Duke (5-1)
The Blue Devils fell by a goal to Princeton and then handled Penn a couple days later. It’s still tough to fully figure out what to make of Duke, so keeping it somewhere in the bottom half of the top 10 seems reasonable. (LW: 7)
9. Penn State (4-1)
Pounced early and never trailed in a 15-9 defeat of Yale that was more lopsided than the final score suggested. Jeff Tambroni takes the Nittany Lions back to his old stomping grounds in central New York when Cornell welcomes Penn State to town Saturday. (LW: 9)
10. Georgetown (3-2)
Aidan Carroll’s five goals and two assists helped the Hoyas dispatch Brown 13-8. Their lone game this week is Wednesday at UAlbany. (LW: 11)
11. Richmond (3-2)
The best thing the Spiders have done all season remains beating Virginia, but almost knocking off Cornell — while it won’t help for NCAA tournament purposes — further suggests Dan Chemotti’s bunch will be a tough out. That’s little solace at the moment, since Richmond was up three with nine minutes to go in a 12-11 loss. (LW: 10)
12. Ohio State (6-1)
It’s apparent the Buckeyes’ defense will have to be accounted for once it reaches Big Ten play. It has held five of its last six opponents to five goals or less, including Bryant in a 7-5 triumph Saturday. They’ll visit Notre Dame in their penultimate non-conference game this week. (LW: 13)
13. Colgate (4-2)
When the Raiders’ 10-man ride is brought up, their effort in an 18-6 thrashing of Loyola could be considered Exhibit A. The Greyhounds were just 22 of 37 on clearing attempts. Also: A game that features a combined 70 clearing attempts isn’t something you see every day. (LW: 14)
14. Harvard (3-1)
In one of the least surprising developments of the young season, the Crimson are perfectly comfortable playing high-scoring games. The latest evidence? Saturday’s 20-16 defeat of Marquette behind Sam King’s seven goals and two assists. Harvard has both scored and allowed at least 14 goals in its last three outings. (LW: 15)
15. Syracuse (4-2)
The Orange certainly didn’t take Utah lightly, scoring the first four goals and 11 of the first 12 in a 15-5 victory in Salt Lake City. It was a spread-the-wealth sort of afternoon for Syracuse, which had 11 goal-scorers. A chance to make a more significant leap awaits with Hopkins making a trip to the Dome on Sunday. (LW: 16)
16. Denver (4-2)
Responded to a 10-goal loss at Cornell by dusting off Marist and Quinnipiac in a three-day span. Another trip east, this one to winless Yale, beckons for the Pioneers. (LW: 18)
17. Virginia (2-3)
The Cavaliers are under .500 this deep into a season for the first time since going 7-8 in 2016, but they put up a far better showing in a 13-12 loss at Johns Hopkins than they did a week earlier at Ohio State. It’s far from panic time in Charlottesville, but there was urgency at Homewood on Saturday. That needs to keep up against Towson this week in Houston. (LW: 17)
18. Michigan (3-2)
The Wolverines forced 20 of Canisius’ 29 turnovers in a 16-2 midweek rout. Dominant as it was, it doesn’t warrant much movement entering a two-game week that brings Cleveland State to Ann Arbor before Saturday’s trip to Harvard. (LW: 19)
19. Penn (2-3)
The Quakers were routed at North Carolina and then competitive for a half at Duke before the Blue Devils made a third-quarter surge Sunday. That’s an 0-for-2 trip to ACC country, and barring a victory at Notre Dame in late April, the bulk of Penn’s postseason resume is going to have to be built during Ivy League play. (LW: 12)
20. Navy (4-1)
A slight edge to the Midshipmen over Fairfield for the last spot on the ballot. Navy dealt Boston University its first loss of the season and has won five of its last six against the Terriers. Jack Flaherty had three goals and three assists for the Mids, who welcome Lehigh to Annapolis on Friday. (LW: Not ranked)
Also considered: Boston University (4-1), Delaware (3-1), Fairfield (5-0), Saint Joseph’s (3-2), UMass (4-1)