A national No. 1 ranking in any sport can be both a blessing and a hindrance. Teams will rarely acknowledge this fact, preferring instead to deny any recognition of rankings. Yet, the No. 1 squad always carries the burden of having every opponent it faces gunning for an upset.
Such was the fate of Virginia, which entered the season with an Inside Lacrosse media poll ranking at the top of Division I men's lacrosse, only to lose its second game of the season and drop to No. 17. After the Cavaliers plummeted down the coveted top-25 list, Johns Hopkins took over the highest poll position -- until a loss in Charlottesville last weekend.
With the fall of the previously undefeated Blue Jays, the No. 1 spot opened up. Enter the Terrapins of College Park, Md.
According to the three major collegiate polls -- STX/USILA, LaxPower and Inside Lacrosse -- Maryland is the top-ranked team in the nation this week. The Cavaliers visit the Terrapins tomorrow to take on the nation's No. 1 squad for the second week in a row.
Last weekend, when Johns Hopkins lost to Virginia, the Terrapins beat then-No. 4 North Carolina, 10-9, allowing them to remain a perfect 7-0 on the season.
Virginia coach Dom Starsia said Maryland's head coach, Dave Cottle, is this season's coach of the year so far.
"He's done a great job with that Maryland team," Starsia said. "They've had some great wins. They do what is needed to do to win, and they know who they are."
Maryland is led by sophomore attacker Joe Walters, who scored four goals against the Tar Heels and has 30 points so far this year. Walters has continued to improve on an inaugural 2003 season which netted him the ACC Rookie of the Year award. Offensively, however, the Terrapins are young and most lack the experience of playing as the top team during their careers. Top defensemen Chris Passavia and Lee Zink, in addition to goalie Tim McGinnis (the reigning ACC Player of the Week), will be expected to provide leadership in a position which even these veterans have little familiarity.
"As a senior class, we had a similar situation when we were freshmen," Passavia said. "We were coming into Virginia, and we were ranked No. 1. When we came into that situation we ended up losing. We have a strong memory of that, and we don't want to make the same mistake."
Heading into this weekend's matchup against the upstart Cavaliers at Byrd Stadium, Maryland will experience the adversity of holding the top ranking for the first time this year. With Virginia coming off an energizing upset against Johns Hopkins, the contest at College Park is sure to be a battle of two titans of college lacrosse.
The Cavaliers hope to improve to .500 on the season and solidify their bid for an appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Terrapins, however, have revenge on their mind, as their last loss to Virginia occurred last season in the NCAA semifinals.
"I think it's going to be a good game, as Maryland/Virginia games always are," Cottle said. "We have a bitter taste after the semifinals last year."
As conference play begins, it will be a daunting task for Maryland to hold its high position. The question remains -- will the Terrapins follow Virginia and Johns Hopkins in surrendering the No. 1 ranking, or continue on their tear toward the top seed in the postseason NCAA tournament?
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