WLL Power Rankings: New No. 1 emerges after Charm clinch Championship berth

Maryland shifts into the clear No. 1 spot after becoming the first team to officially clinch a spot in the WLL Championship.

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>Due to the World Lacrosse Championships taking place in Tokyo over the next two weeks, the next time we will see a WLL competition will be the final regular-season game on Aug. 8 between Boston and California.

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>Boston is officially out of the running with its latest loss to Maryland this past weekend in Fairfield, but California and New York remain fighting for the final spot to play against Maryland in the Championship.

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>Let’s take a look at how the power rankings have shaken up this week.

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1. Maryland Charm (last week: 2)The Charm’s top offensive stars came ready to play for the championship berth last Friday. They continue to look like the most balanced offense in the league right now, where ego shows no face and their main scorers take turns spreading the love on the score sheet. Brigid Duffy went off for 10 points (7G, 3A) against the Guard. But then you see Sydni Black (5G, 2A), Ashley Humphrey (3G, 4A), Ally Kennedy (4G, 2A) and Sam Apuzzo (2G, 4A) all contributing with huge days of their own, and you quickly realize how dangerous this offense is.

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>Abby Bosco, with her timely stick checks and tactical defensive pressure, leads a Charm defense that causes havoc in front of goalie tandem Caylee Waters and Jenika Cuocco. If the Charm can hold onto this momentum and continue playing the unselfish, gritty way that they have been, they’re going to be a problem in the championship game on Aug. 15.

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>The Charm await their championship opponent while sitting satisfied with the No. 1 spot and another guaranteed game on the books.

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2. California Palms (last week: 1)The Palms still have the best score differential in the league (plus-8). However, they have not yet clinched their championship berth. They play Boston in the regular-season finale.

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>Though Boston isn’t a threat to their championship spot, they must leave that game beating New York’s score differential (minus-1) in order to advance.

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>The Palms’ success has come from their up-and-down two-way midfielders buying in on both sides of the ball, heavy pressure right off draw possessions to disrupt other teams’ transition, and a quick-to-slide defense led by super consistent goalie Taylor Moreno. As California lines up against Boston, its goal will be to minimize the number of Guard goals in that game. We can likely expect to see a Katie Detwiler-on-Rachel Clark mark to match Clark’s dodging with speed, and Emily Nalls on Kenzie Kent. Nalls thrives playing against a low lefty attacker.

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>We see California line up against Boston on Aug. 8 at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

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3. New York Charging (last week: 3)This New York team can surely rack up goals with Izzy Scane’s dodging and Erin Coykendall’s natural ability to land a SportsCenter Top 10 highlight. But the ultimate question remains: Did the Charging score enough goals, while simultaneously making enough stops, to squeak their way into the Championship?

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>New York needs Boston to complete a huge upset against California, and it’s a hefty ask. The Charging need the Guard to win by nine or more goals against the team with the largest score differential in the league.

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4. Boston Guard (last week: 4)The Guard have been missing key offensive pieces in Charlotte North and Cassidy Weeks this season, and though Clark has made up for a lot of that missed scoring, Boston in general has struggled to find wins.

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>At 0-3 on the season, the Guard look to finish their summer on a high note when they take on the Palms in front of a home Boston crowd at Harvard Stadium. With a win, they could really shake things up in the league and could ultimately head into the offseason with a much-needed boost of confidence.