We all know that records are meant to be broken.
There’s at least one Division I women’s lacrosse record that probably never will, though. In 1983, the second year of Northwestern’s existence as a varsity program, the Wildcats allowed 4.71 goals per game (66 goals in 14 games).
Cindy Timchal’s defense was led by Jane Billeter, who is No. 9 in program history with 236 saves despite only playing from 1983-84.
That was a different time with different philosophies and different offensive capabilities. The advent of the shot clock, the overall skill of attackers and a variety of other factors have seen scoring numbers skyrocket — certainly well beyond the Northwestern defense of 40 years ago witnessed.
This is all to say that Denver’s start to 2023 might not be on true record-breaking pace. But the Pios’ efforts need to be recognized. They clipped Maryland on Sunday in College Park, the first time Denver’s ever beaten the Terps. It was an 8-7 win in which Emelia Bohi made seven saves, including a clutch one late to seal it.
Denver’s allowed 34 goals in its 6-0 start, or 5.67 goals per game. Looking ahead, the only offensive juggernaut (at least on paper) remaining on the schedule is Boston College on March 19. Jacksonville (March 22) and Stanford (April 14) can traditionally score it, too.
So, maybe Denver won’t surpass Northwestern’s vaunted defense in 1983. Six games in, I might be counting chickens before they hatch. But seriously, Denver looks on another level defensively right now.
As always, thanks for reading The Sunday Slide. Hit me up with your comments (kdejohn@usalacrosse.com), and we can continue the conversation in next week’s column.
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS
It’s astounding what North Carolina is doing this season. Should we be surprised? Probably not. It’s Jenny Levy at the helm, after all. The newbies in the Tar Heels starting lineup have been remarkable, and they played a nearly flawless game in a 16-5 win over Boston College on Friday. Is North Carolina untouchable again?
Women’s lacrosse fans have rightfully celebrated the fact that over 450 games will be available this season on ESPN platforms. But at what point does the discourse pivot to broadcast quality? I get that not every school has the same resources, but I’ll settle for consistency in announcers and streams with score bugs on the screen. By and large, quality has been subpar in 2023.
The Ivy League hierarchy is going to be so fun to watch develop over the course of the spring. Right now, it’s Yale that looks every bit the favorite after a 15-10 win over Princeton — the program’s first over the Tigers since April 7, 2007. Yale’s ball movement was impressive, and the finishing ability of Fallon Vaughn and Jenna Collignon could put the Bulldogs over the top compared to their Ivy peers.