Top 10 Offensive Duos in Division I Women's Lacrosse

Jordan and Pippen. Venus and Serena. Brady and Gronk. Dynamic duos have long ruled the sports landscape, and Division I women’s lacrosse is ripe with 1-2 punches that give defenses a handful each week.

Now, let’s be clear before we dive in — so many of these offenses are as effective as they are because of the options beyond just Nos. 1 and 2 on the call sheet. Boston College, Northwestern and North Carolina, just to name a few, are programs with enviable offensive depth.

But for the sake of the headline — “duos” doesn’t mean three or four, after all — we’re sticking to the program here.

Here are the top 10 offensive duos in the country as we inch closer to the spring season.

Izzy Scane and Erin Coykendall, Northwestern

The impetus for even putting this list together, there’s not a more fearsome duo in the land than Northwestern’s Izzy Scane and Erin Coykendall. Scane won the 2023 Tewaaraton Award with 99 goals a year removed from an ACL injury. Coykendall, who blossomed while Scane sat out the 2022 season, was a Tewaaraton finalist with 58 goals and 50 assists. Shut one down and the other beats you.

Northwestern’s offensive weaponry goes far beyond Scane and Coykendall. Madison Taylor is an emerging star, if not a star already, and incoming transfers Mary Schumar and Lindsey Frank add considerable depth. Plus, Dylan Amonte’s best moments last season came in the biggest games.

It just all starts with Scane and Coykendall.

Emma LoPinto and Rachel Clark, Boston College

We’ve yet to see the prizes of the transfer portal play a meaningful game together, but the LoPinto-Clark connection is going to be a sight to see. The juniors come to Boston College with significant big-game experience and are both crafty on the attack.

You could (rightfully) argue that Boston College could have two entries on this list, with incumbent offensive leaders Belle Smith and Mckenna Davis of equal impact and importance. There’s also Kayla Martello and the Weeks twins — and others ready for more run.

We’re just super excited to see LoPinto and Clark on offense together.

Libby May and Eloise Clevenger, Maryland

Kori Edmondson is the third piece of this equation left out of the “duo” for now. She and Hannah Leubecker were great running mates for Maryland goals leader Libby May in 2023, and Edmondson could very well take off and surpass them both this spring as the top scoring option.

But with Eloise Clevenger distributing the ball, plenty of Maryland players are in store for strong 2024 seasons.

Caitlyn Wurzburger and Chloe Humphrey, North Carolina

We’re forecasting a bit here, but after hearing so much about Chloe Humphrey’s high school exploits and then seeing how she dropped five goals and one assist against Northwestern at the USA Lacrosse Fall Classic earlier this month, there shouldn’t be any doubt about Humphrey’s potential to immediately impact the Tar Heels. Pairing her with Caitlyn Wurzburger, another former top recruit who entered college with mile-high expectations, will be fun for Jenny Levy and Co.

Emma Ward and Emma Tyrrell, Syracuse

It’s The Em & Em Show up in Syracuse in 2024. There’s a fair bit of turnover on the offensive end for the Orange, with Tewaaraton Award finalist Meaghan Tyrrell and her partner in crime Megan Carney off to graduation. That leaves Emma Ward and Emma Tyrrell to run the show, along with a larger role for Olivia Adamson.

We’ve seen prolonged flashes of what Ward can do in this offense. But with her operating as the focal point? Get your cameras ready.

Kasey Choma and Jackie Wolak, Notre Dame

Absolutely zero disrespect is intended here for Madison Ahern. Or incoming transfer Arden Tierney. Or Mary Kelly Doherty, Kristen Shanahan and Kelly Denes. (This offense is stacked, huh?)

But Jackie Wolak solidified herself as the Irish’s top all-around offensive option in 2023 with 57 goals and 48 assists. Then Kasey Choma stepped up to score the biggest goal of her career against Florida in the NCAA tournament. They’re the 1-2 in South Bend, with Ahern capable of going off in any given game.

Ellie Masera and Alex Finn, Stony Brook

Stony Brook head coach Joe Spallina brought in a No. 2 option (or at least a co-No. 2 option with the return of 55-goal scorer Kailyn Hart) for Ellie Masera and the Seawolves to benefit from in the form off UMass transfer Alex Finn. In her career at UMass, Finn scored 90 goals in three years, including 72 in the last two, with 74 assists. She was a 40-40 player in 2023 and shot 64.6 percent.

Pair that with Masera, who has 138 goals over the past two seasons, and Stony Brook’s offense is in good shape.

Fiona McGowan and Charlotte Wilmoth, UMass

Not exactly household names here, but they should be. McGowan was the Atlantic 10 Co-Offensive Player of the Year in 2023 after a 44-goal, 48-assists campaign. Wilmoth dropped 46 goals with nine assist and started just 13 of 19 games — though that included the final eight games in which she scored 20 times.

The high-flying UMass offense is always kind to offensive players (it also included the aforementioned Alex Finn last year), and that won’t change in 2024.

Sydni Black and Georgia Latch, Loyola

With the graduation of Jillian Wilson, it’s up to Sydni Black and Georgia Latch to shoulder Loyola’s offensive load. They’re more than capable.

Black posted a career-high 55 goals a year ago (plus a career-high 26 assists) and shot 49.1 percent. And Latch has been a staple of consistency in her two years with the Greyhounds, going for 38 goals and 38 assists in 2022 and 45 goals and 44 assists in 2023.

Talk about a 1-2 punch.

Isabella Peterson and Katelyn Morgan, James Madison

Isabella Peterson and Tai Jankowski were a handful last season, but with Jankowski’s departure, the door is open for Katelyn Morgan to further establish herself. It’s not as if Morgan is an unknown. Her 35 assists last season led the Dukes, and some of Peterson’s 91 goals were a direct result of Morgan’s efforts.

But there could be more scoring opportunities in Morgan’s future, and that’s an exciting prospect for James Madison fans.