The attention of the lacrosse world turns to Foxborough, Massachusetts, this Memorial Day weekend, the traditional place on the calendar for its biggest event as NCAA championships will be determined.
The women take the field first at Gillette Stadium on Friday with a pair of semifinal contests. The docket features the top four seeds, and they’re all quite familiar with the big stage. The field includes the three most recent champs, with the fourth making its second consecutive championship weekend appearance and third overall hoping to break through for its first title.
Here’s everything you need to know to enjoy the games.
No. 1 North Carolina (20-0) vs. No. 4 Florida (20-2)
Time/TV: 3 p.m. ET, ESPNU
How they got here: North Carolina – beat Clemson 18-9, Princeton 19-10. Florida – beat Mercer 18-6, Stanford 13-12 (2OT), Duke 11-9.
National championships: North Carolina three (last 2022), Florida none.
Players to watch: North Carolina – Ashley Humphrey (31 G, 82 A); Chloe Humphrey (79 G, 27 A); Marissa White (45 G, 7 A). Florida – Gianna Monaco (73 G, 20 A); Frannie Hahn (32 G, 59 A); Jordan Basso (36 G, 38 A).
Quick sticks: The Tar Heels look to match the feat of an undefeated championship season they achieved in 2022. They beat all the other Final Four participants in the regular season, including a 14-9 win at Florida way back on Feb. 15. … The Humphrey sisters garner most of the headlines, but the UNC offensive depth goes well beyond them with 10 players recording at least 30 points on the season. … Due to conference realignment Florida is now an affiliate member of the Big 12 in women’s lacrosse, but the Gators’ winning ways have not changed. As mentioned, this marks the program’s third semifinal appearance, though they’ve yet to reach the championship game.
No. 2 Boston College (19-2) vs. No. 3 Northwestern (18-2)
Time/TV: 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU
How they got here: Boston College – beat Stony Brook 10-7, No. 7 Yale 18-11. Northwestern – beat Michigan 15-7, Penn 17-12.
National championships: Boston College two (last 2024), Northwestern eight (last 2023).
Players to watch: Boston College – Rachel Clark (103 G, 22 A); Emma LoPinto (76 G 32 A); Mckenna Davis (25 G, 75 A). Northwestern – Madison Taylor (105 G, 41 A); Niki Miles (40 G, 26 A); Riley Campbell (35 G, 17 A).
Quick sticks: These two programs squared off in the championship game each of the last two years. The Eagles took last year’s meeting in a 14-13 thriller, and they upended the Wildcats 13-9 earlier this season as well – coincidentally also on Feb. 15. … Taylor and Clark have been nip and tuck all season in the national scoring race, and both are Tewaaraton Award finalists. BC has more scoring depth in support of Clark, but Sam Smith could be an equalizer for the Wildcats with her ability to control draws.