Weekend One-Liners: The First Conference Champ Will Be Crowned

A busy weekend in women’s lacrosse will include the first automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.

The ACC championship is on Sunday. Will Boston College repeat? The Eagles enter the postseason as a hot team following a win over Syracuse in the regular-season finale and an 18-3 victory against Duke Wednesday night.

Now, BC must face Notre Dame, which is No. 2 in the ACC but No. 1 in our ranking.

Elsewhere, the Big Ten, MAAC and Patriot League will take steps toward crowning a champion with quarterfinal games, and the rest of the national landscape concludes a memorable regular season.

TV LISTINGS | USA LACROSSE TOP 20

ACC SEMIFINALS

No. 5 Virginia (14-3) vs. No. 4 Syracuse (13-4) — Friday, 5 p.m. (ACC Network)

Virginia scored an emotional one-goal win against North Carolina — the Cavs’ first over the Tar Heels since 2014 — and now squares off with a Syracuse team that cruised by Louisville 17-8 behind a combined 10 points from Emma Ward and Emma Tyrrell.

No. 3 Boston College (14-3) vs. No. 1 Notre Dame (15-2) — Friday, 8 p.m. (ACC Network)

The Irish’s statement-making win over the Eagles on March 18 helped build a case to be the No. 1 team in the land, but they’ll have to get another W to continue to vie for a chance to be the top team in the ACC.

(The game of the week, the ACC championship game, will air Sunday at noon on the ACC Network.)

BIG TEN QUARTERFINALS

Ohio State (8-8) vs. No. 12 Penn State (9-6), — Saturday, 12 p.m. (B1G+)

The second seed in the Big Ten tournament for the first time since 2017, Penn State can exact some payback on Ohio State, which upended the Nittany Lions 9-8 on March 28.

No. 14 Johns Hopkins (10-6) at No. 7 Michigan (14-2) — Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (B1G+)

The Wolverines fell one goal short of a Big Ten regular-season crown — and to the four seed, where they draw a Hopkins program entering the tournament hoping to snap a three-game skid at the right time.

Rutgers (7-9) vs. No. 6 Maryland (12-4) — Saturday, 4 p.m. (B1G+)

Meghan Ball posted four draws and two caused turnovers for Maryland against her former team in a 13-8 Terps win on March 24. 

PATRIOT LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS

Lehigh (7-8) at Army (9-7) – Sunday, 12 p.m. (ESPN+)

After an inauspicious start, the Black Knights have rebounded and are seeking their fourth-straight Patriot League semifinal berth.

Colgate (3-13) at Holy Cross (11-5) — Sunday, 1 p.m. (ESPN+)

Holy Cross looks to extend its best season in recent history with its first trip to the Patriot League semifinals since 2014.

MAAC QUARTERFINALS

Canisius (11-6) vs. Siena (12-5) — Sunday,  12 p.m. (ESPN+)

Don’t sleep on Siena, which challenged undefeated Fairfield in an 11-8 loss last weekend in the MAAC tournament — but the Saints must first get by a Canisius team that took them to overtime on March 27.

Mount St. Mary’s (7-9) at Iona (12-4) — Sunday,  12 p.m. (ESPN+)

Iona goalie Lauren Sweeney made 14 saves, and Mount St. Mary’s Ashlyn Watkins made 15 saves in the first meeting between the two teams, a 12-7 Gaels win on March 23.

REGULAR SEASON

Dartmouth (7-6) at No. 11 Penn (11-3) — Saturday, 12 p.m. (ESPN+)

Dartmouth closes its season against the defending Ivy champion, which locked up a No. 3 seed in the conference tournament last weekend vs. Brown.

No. 16 Princeton (9-5) at Harvard (10-3) — Saturday, 12 p.m. (ESPN+)

Before Princeton started its run atop the Ivy League in the 1990s, it was Harvard that reigned supreme and won a national title in 1990.

Temple (9-5) No. 10 Florida (14-2) — Saturday, 12 p.m. (ESPN+)

Florida has never lost to the Owls, holding a 14-0 all-time record.

UMass (11-4) at Richmond (11-4) — Saturday, 12 p.m. (ESPN+)

Richmond tripped up in an upset loss to VCU last weekend but can lock up the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament by spoiling rival UMass’ bid for a perfect A-10 regular season.

Xavier (4-11) at No. 12 Denver (13-4) — Saturday, 1:30 a.m. (Pioneers All-Access)

Denver — which scored a last-second win over Yale on Monday — can clinch its fifth-straight perfect Big East regular season with a win on Saturday.

Colombia (4-10) at No. 9 Yale (12-2) — Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

Following a heartbreaker to Denver, Yale can bounce back by putting a bow on its first-ever undefeated Ivy League regular season at home vs. Colombia.