It has been a season of triumphs for this group of Profs.

Rolling into Tuesday’s 7 p.m. matchup on a nine-game winning streak, the team in brown and gold look to take down The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) on the road and claim the top spot in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC).

“I think we’ve done everything we can do at this point,“ said head coach Lindsay Delaney when asked of her team’s most recent NJAC rankings.  “At the end we’ll see how it all shakes out.”

Despite Rowan’s current streak of wins, the voters at the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) poll have kept the Profs stagnant, moving the team up a meager two spots over the weekend to 21st in the country after three consecutive weeks at 23rd.

“They’re not going to give us it [the recognition] until it matters,” Delaney said. “If they don’t want to give us the recognition we feel we deserve, that’s on them.”

The Profs are not after recognition, however. It’s all about the next victory with this squad.

Delaney has this team focused on each other and reaching the ultimate goal of winning the NJAC. This all starts against third-ranked TCNJ, who has had Rowan’s number over past seasons. An 11-1 blowout loss on home turf last season is fresh in their minds, as the Profs look to return the favor in a matchup they have been anticipating, to say the least.

“I definitely think we’ve been waiting for this for awhile and we’re really confident and ready to go for it,” said senior captain Nicole Mickendrow.

“We’re very excited, I don’t think we’ve been in this position since I’ve been here,” added senior attacker Kim Doyle. “We are all really ready to get out there.”

It can’t be understated what these two have brought to the table for the Prof’s this season, as Doyle and Mickendrow rank second and fifth in goals for Rowan, respectively.  The two have become offensive staples behind scoring juggernaut Maddie Bray. With a grand total of five goals between them last season, the two seniors have stepped up into their newfound rolls and delivered, putting up 46 total goals in 11 games. 

Tuesday night’s matchup will not be easy for the Prof’s, as TCNJ has allowed only five goals over its last three games all while putting up 53 goals in that span. In a battle for not only New Jersey, but playoff implications and the top spot in the NJAC as well, the Profs will have to be on the top of their game if they hope to come out of this game victorious.

After two dominating performances at home last week over #19 Stevens Institute of Technology (23-11) and a NJAC victory over Ramapo (21-3), the brown and gold’s confidence is through the roof as they look to show each other, and the pollers at the IWLCA, who is the best team in New Jersey.

UPDATED:

The Profs fell to #3 TCNJ on Tuesday night, 16-3. Rowan possesses the top spot in the first batch of NCAA Regional Rankings, per Rowan Athletics. The rankings were made prior to Tuesday night’s game.

For comments/questions about this story, email sports@thewhitonline.com or tweet @TheWhitOnline.