NCAA Women's Lacrosse Week 4: March is Here

At last, March is here.

Well, it is on Saturday. Teams playing Friday games officially have one more day of February lacrosse.

With the season putting a bow on its first month, it finally feels like lacrosse is in full swing. We’ve learned a lot, like which teams appear to be juggernauts and which teams look to be turning a corner as a program.

We’ve learned about this season’s big players and his season’s sleeper teams. We’ve learned who’s more motivated than ever (we’re looking at you, North Carolina) and who’s quietly lurking as a contender (Yale, this one’s for you).

Where the 2025 season takes us is still anybody’s guess. But with one month down, we’re closer to finding out.

PICK FIVE

NO. 17 NOTRE DAME AT NO. 20 DUKE 
2 P.M. EASTERN FRIDAY | WATCH: ACCNX

Notre Dame storyline to watch: We’ve seen this script before. Notre Dame last played a Clemson team one might consider to be in a similar ACC tier as Duke, and the Tigers were feisty in a 12-11 win over the Irish. This time, the Irish go on the road to Durham, N.C., to face a Duke team that recently hung close with No. 1 Boston College for much of the game. Can Notre Dame avoid a second straight letdown?

Duke storyline to watch: The Blue Devils are 2-0 when they hold the draw advantage and 0-2 when they don’t. They won 20 of 26 against Elon and 17 of 24 against High Point, both comfortable victories. Johns Hopkins held a 14-13 draw edge in a 12-11 win over Duke, then Boston College dominated the circle 25-8 in a 19-10 win. On paper, that makes the gameplan simple. Win the draw, rule the world, as they say.

NO. 5 FLORIDA AT NO. 18 JAMES MADISON 
11 A.M. EASTERN SATURDAY | WATCH: FLOSPORTS

Florida storyline to watch: The Gators’ offense has been efficient, scoring at just over a 47-percent clip, which ranks 23rd nationally. Jordan Basso is the player to watch against James Madison. The Gettysburg graduate transfer is 6-for-7 shooting this season, and against JMU’s strong zone (and a top defender nationally in Ava Bleckley roaming around), her impact needs to be felt.

James Madison storyline to watch: Outside of a season-opening 14-2 loss to North Carolina, the Dukes’ defense has looked good, allowing an average of 9.7 goals per game in a three-game winning streak. They’ll have their hands full against Florida. That puts some of the pressure on the goalie, whether it be junior Caitlin Boden or senior Adanya Moyer who sees the bulk of the time between the pipes.

NO. 13 JOHNS HOPKINS AT NO. 14 STONY BROOK 
11 A.M. EASTERN SATURDAY | WATCH: FLOSPORTS

Johns Hopkins storyline to watch: To Hopkins’ credit, Tim McCormack’s team is mentally tough. They’ve already played three one-goal games and two overtime contests, and their 11-7 loss to Loyola was of the grind-it-out sort, too. Tuesday’s 19-10 win over Georgetown was something of a reprieve, but next up is a Stony Brook team known for making things tough. The Blue Jays won 14-12 against the Seawolves last March, breaking a string of six straight losses in the series.

Stony Brook storyline to watch: This will be Stony Brook’s first game against a ranked opponent, marking a stiff jump in competition from the likes of Bryant, Villanova and UAlbany, who the Seawolves dispatched by a combined 44-27. It’s also Stony Brook’s first home game of 2025. Entering the spring as relative unknowns after a smattering of graduations, Stony Brook has found its next crop of go-to players in sophomore Isabella Caporuscio (11G, 18DC) and graduate transfer Charlotte Wilmoth (10G, 2A).

NO. 16 CLEMSON AT NO. 6 SYRACUSE 
12 P.M. EASTERN SATURDAY | WATCH: ACCNX

Clemson storyline to watch: Off to a 4-0 start, Clemson looks like a fast riser. Given the investment behind the program before it even got off the ground, many looked at Clemson as a team that could make noise almost immediately. Well, the Tigers took down Notre Dame last weekend and have a chance to make an even bigger statement on the road against Syracuse. A trio of 11-plus-goal scorers (Kayla Macleod, 16; Lexi Edmonds, 13; Lindsey Marshall, 11) and a draw dynamo (Kira Balis, 41) have Clemson in a good spot.

Syracuse storyline to watch: Losers of two straight (16-8 at North Carolina, 12-8 vs. Northwestern), the Orange are looking to right the ship during a brutal five-game stretch against ranked opponents. After scoring at least 15 goals in three straight wins to open the year, Syracuse has scored eight goals twice in a row. This coincides with the absence of Olivia Adamson, who hasn’t played since an 18-10 win over Cornell. Her presence helps take the pressure off Emma Ward and the rest of the offense.

DENVER AT NO. 10 MARYLAND 
12 P.M. EASTERN SATURDAY | WATCH: BTN+

Denver storyline to watch: After scoring 13 goals combined in an 0-2 start, the Denver offense has found its footing with outputs of 17, 21 and 19 in wins over Vanderbilt, Arizona State and San Diego State, respectively. The offense that breaks through in this matchup should be the victor, especially given the last two scores in this series (10-8 Maryland in 2024 and 8-7 Denver in 2023). What’s helped the offense establish itself is Raegan Wilson’s ability to settle into the role as the primary distributor, replacing Olivia Penoyer. Her 14 assists have allowed players like Lauren Black (15 goals) and Olivia Ripple (14 goals) to thrive.

Maryland storyline to watch: Cathy Reese’s team is going to learn as it goes this season. There’s youth up and down the Terps’ starting lineup, and Reese is molding them into future contributors each game. Denver has the clear edge in experience, though the three offensive players Reese most needs to step up — Chrissy Thomas, Kori Edmondson and Maisy Clevenger — have done so thus far.

DON’T FORGET ABOUT…

ARMY AT COLORADO 
8 P.M. EASTERN FRIDAY | WATCH: ESPN+

A sneaky-good matchup between two teams on the cusp of the USA Lacrosse Top 20 scheduled to start after the East Coast wraps up dinner. Brigid Duffy has a case for the top midfielder in the country, and Colorado will have to clamp down against her and the rest of the Army offense. Colorado ranks 114th out of 120 Division I women’s teams in scoring defense (16.67 goals allowed per game).

NO. 15 PENN AT NO. 8 MICHIGAN 
12 P.M. EASTERN SATURDAY | WATCH: BTN+

These are two programs known for defense. Michigan ranks 12th nationally (6.75 goals allowed per game), showing no signs of letting up after last season’s defense carried the program to new heights. Penn is off to a slower start on that end of the field, though it’s been a small sample of three games. The Quakers are allowing opponents to score 9.7 goals per game.

SMALL SCHOOL GAME TO WATCH

NO. 9 LYNN AT NO. 11 UINDY 
11 A.M. EASTERN SUNDAY | WATCH: GLVCSN

Early in the season, most of the best Division II intersectional games involving teams in Florida are played on home turf. The allure of playing in warm weather is simply hard to resist for squads from the frozen frontiers. That’s why this weekend’s match-up between No. 9 Lynn (4-0) and No. 11 UIndy (2-0) is so interesting…the Fighting Knights are leaving the comfortable climate of Boca Raton to venture north to Indianapolis. Weather aside, this is an intriguing showdown between a fast-rising, fourth year program in Lynn that earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance last year, and one of the traditional Top 10 contenders in UIndy that won the national championship in 2022.

— Paul Ohanian