Weekend lacrosse primer (April 19): Players and Games of the Week, top 20 polls

Players of the Week

Men

Quintin Germain, Boston University

Huntington, N.Y., defenseman, senior

The Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week was instrumental in the No. 16 Terriers’ 18-11 upset of then-No. 2 Loyola Maryland on Saturday, compiling one caused turnover and one ground ball and limiting senior attackman Pat Spencer to zero goals on four shots and a lone assist. Spencer, who ranks second among NCAA Division I players in points per game at 6.9, last had been held to a single point in the Greyhounds’ 7-4 loss to Ohio State in the first round of the 2017 NCAA tournament.

Women

Ally Kennedy, Stony Brook

North Babylon, N.Y., midfielder, junior

The America East Conference Offensive Player of the Week amassed 16 points on 12 goals and four assists in the No. 17 Seawolves’ victories over Albany on Friday and then-No. 14 Southern California on Sunday. Kennedy, who also totaled 16 draw controls and five ground balls in the wins, ranks 10th among Division I players in goals per game at 3.8.

Games of the Week

Men

No. 2 Maryland (10-2, 2-1 Big Ten) @ No. 9 Ohio State (8-2, 1-2)

Saturday, 1 p.m.

Outlook: The Terps own an 8-3 advantage in this series, but the sides have split the past six meetings and each team has scored 55 goals over that span. The Buckeyes need a win to stay in the hunt for a berth in the Big Ten tournament, while Maryland could lock up a spot in the postseason with a victory.

Women

No. 6 Northwestern (9-4) @ No. 4 Notre Dame (13-2)

Saturday, 7 p.m.

Outlook: The Wildcats have won 19 of 23 games in their rivalry with the Fighting Irish, but two of those four losses took place in South Bend, Ind. Can a Northwestern offense that leads all NCAA Division I teams in scoring at 18.5 goals per game find enough holes against a Notre Dame defense that ranks second at only 6.8 goals allowed per game?

Inside Lacrosse Top 20 polls

Men

1. Penn State (10-1, 26 first-place votes)

2. Maryland (10-2)

3. Duke (10-3)

4. Yale (8-2)

5. Penn (7-3)

6. Virginia (9-3)

7. Syracuse (8-3)

8. Loyola Maryland (9-3)

9. Ohio State (8-2)

10. Cornell (8-4)

11. High Point (10-2)

12. Notre Dame (6-5)

13. Denver (7-4)

14. Towson (7-4)

15. UMass (8-4)

16. Boston University (9-4)

17. Army (9-3)

18. Georgetown (9-4)

19. Johns Hopkins (6-5)

20. Delaware (10-2)

Receiving votes: North Carolina, Villanova, Lehigh, Princeton, Mount St Mary's, Richmond, Air Force, Rutgers

Women

1. Boston College (15-0, 21 first-place votes)

2. Maryland (15-0, 1)

3. North Carolina (11-3)

4. Notre Dame (13-2)

5. Syracuse (13-3)

6. Northwestern (9-4)

7. Virginia (11-5)

8. Michigan (14-1)

9. James Madison (12-3)

10. Princeton (9-3)

11. Loyola Maryland (10-4)

12. Penn (9-3)

13. Duke (9-6)

13. Dartmouth (8-4)

15. Denver (11-2)

16. Navy (11-3)

17. Stony Brook (10-4)

18. Florida (9-6)

19. USC (13-3)

20. Virginia Tech (8-8)

Receiving votes: Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Colorado, Hofstra, High Point

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Notre Dame celebrates after defeating Duke, 13-9, at Lincoln Financial Field on May 29, 2023. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)