Weekend lacrosse primer (March 15): Players and Games of the Week, top 20 polls

Players of the Week

Men

Cade Van Raaphorst, Duke

Phoenix, Ariz., defenseman, senior

A first-team All-American last season, Van Raaphorst limited Loyola Maryland senior attackman Pat Spencer to one goal on four shots and two assists in the No. 2 Blue Devils’ 12-7 victory over the then-No. 3 Greyounds on March 7. Van Raaphorst, who also picked up four ground balls, held Spencer to the fewest number of points in a regular-season game since April 20 when he had only two in a 12-8 win against Army West Point.

Yale's Matt Gaudet (44) and Jackson Morrill (15) pursue Duke's Cade Van Raaphorst (7) during the second half of an NCAA college Division I championship final lacrosse game, Monday, May 28, 2018, in Foxborough, Mass. (Michael Dwyer / AP)

Women

Megan Taylor, Maryland

Glenelg, goalkeeper, senior

The IWLCA National Defensive Player of the Week turned away 12 total shots to anchor the No. 2 Terps’ 12-11 overtime win over No. 4 Syracuse on Saturday and then stopped 13 shots in a 14-9 victory over No. 6 Penn on Wednesday. Taylor entered Wednesday’s game ranked third among NCAA Division I goalies in save percentage (.549) and 14th in goals-against average (8.74).

Maryland senior goalie Megan Taylor, a Glenelg grad. (Courtesy of Maryland Athletics)

Games of the Week

Men

No. 3 Cornell (4-1) @ No. 4 Yale (3-1)

Saturday, 1 p.m.

Outlook: The Ivy League schedule opens with a bang, pitting the reigning conference tournament champion Big Red at the reigning NCAA champion Bulldogs. Freshman goalkeeper Chayse Ierlan (12.95 goals-against average, .481 save percentage) will try to backstop Cornell to a win against older brother and Yale junior faceoff specialist TD Ierlan (.760 faceoff percentage, 13.5 ground balls per game).

Women

No. 5 Virginia (7-2) @ No. 7 James Madison (6-1)

Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.

Outlook: The Cavaliers have owned their neighbors to the tune of a 33-15-1 head-to-head record, but the Dukes ended a six-game losing streak by running away with a 15-10 victory April 18. Watch two of Division I’s top playmakers in Virginia senior midfielder Maggie Jackson (36 points) and James Madison senior attacker Hanna Haven (32) go to work.

Inside Lacrosse Top 20 polls

Men

1. Penn State (14 first-place votes), 6-1

2. Duke (5), 6-1

3. Cornell (3), 4-1

4. Yale (4), 3-1

5. Towson, 5-1

6. Maryland (1), 6-1

7. Notre Dame, 3-1

8. Loyola Maryland, 4-2

9. Ohio State, 6-0

10. High Point, 6-1

11. Denver, 4-2

12. Virginia, 4-2

13. Syracuse, 3-2

14. Georgetown, 6-1

15. Rutgers, 4-2

16. Lehigh, 3-3

17. Johns Hopkins, 2-3

18. Army, 4-2

19. Colgate, 3-2

20. Penn, 2-3

Women

1. Boston College (23 first-place votes), 8-0

2. Maryland (1), 7-0

3. North Carolina, 5-1

4. Syracuse, 6-2

5. Virginia, 6-2

6. Penn, 6-0

7. James Madison, 6-1

8. Princeton, 4-1

9. Northwestern, 5-3

10. Johns Hopkins, 6-1

11. Michigan, 9-0

12. Loyola Maryland, 3-2

13. Denver, 6-1

14. Duke, 6-1

15. Navy, 5-2

16. USC, 6-1

17. Georgetown, 5-2

18. Stanford, 5-2

19. Notre Dame, 6-2

20. Penn State, 4-3

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Duke's Nakeie Montgomery (15) celebrates after scoring on Maryland's Dan Morris, seated left, during the first half in the semifinals of the NCAA Division 1 college lacrosse tournament in Foxborough, Mass., Saturday, May 26, 2018. (Michael Dwyer / AP)