Feb. 1, 2011
Notre Dame, Ind. – The Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team that opens the 2011 season on Feb. 21 at the University of California has been ranked 10th in the preseason Inside Lacrosse media poll.
The poll puts the Irish in good company, as six of the teams on the 2011 schedule are included in the preseason rankings. Leading that list is Northwestern, ranked second in the nation, as the Wildcats saw their streak of five straight national championships end last season. The Irish will face Northwestern on Feb. 19 at the Loftus Center.
Joining Northwestern on the list are BIG EAST foes, Syracuse at No. 5, Georgetown at No. 6 and Loyola (Md.) at No. 12. The Irish will also face Stanford (No. 14) and Vanderbilt (No. 11) this season.
Notre Dame is coming off a 2010 season that saw them go 11-7 overall with a 5-2 mark in the BIG EAST. The Irish lost in the BIG EAST semifinals in a heart-breaking, four-overtime thriller to Syracuse, 12-11. Notre Dame then advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year – a first for the program – and lost in the opening round at Northwestern. The Irish finished the season ranked 12th in the final IWLCA poll.
In January, Notre Dame also was ranked 10th in the Lacrosse Magazine preseason poll that featured seven teams on the Irish schedule, including the same six as Inside Lacrosse and Hofstra
Head coach Tracy Coyne enters her 15th season guiding the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team. The Irish open the 2011 season on Friday, Feb. 11 when they travel to Berkeley, Calif., for the season opener against California at 5:00 p.m. (PT).
Inside Lacrosse/deBeer Weekly Media Poll (Preseason)
2010 record Points (1st)1. Maryland 22-1 158 (6)2. Northwestern 20-2 154 (2)3. North Carolina 17-3 1414. Duke 14-6 1335. Syracuse 15-7 1296. Georgetown 13-6 1057. Virginia 14-6 1028. Pennsylvania 15-4 939. James Madison 17-3 8810. Notre Dame 11-7 8611. Vanderbilt 12-6 8012. Dartmouth 11-5 72 Loyola (Md.) 11-7 7214. Stanford 15-6 6015. Towson 13-5 4416. Penn State 10-7 4217. Boston College 12-6 2018. Princeton 6-10 1819. Johns Hopkins 10-7 1320. Denver 13-5 11