Women's Lacrosse Week 6 Preview: Conference Clashes Aplenty

What’s old is new again ... and it’s not getting old.

While the 2025 season promised roster upheavals (done), the chaos across the Division I landscape continues. Mercer upended No. 11 Clemson on Tuesday — a stunning turn of events for a Tigers team that saw its stock rise with a win over Syracuse in the Dome on March 1.

No. 8 Florida used a five-goal fourth quarter on Wednesday to rally and beat a Navy team that recently lost to Jacksonville.

In short, getting a read on most teams that are not named Boston College, North Carolina, Northwestern and Yale is hard. The best way to settle it? On the field, of course.

The (good) drama continues this weekend.

PICK FIVE

ARMY (5-1, 1-0 PATRIOT) AT NO. 13  LOYOLA (4-4, 1-0 PATRIOT)  
12 P.M. EASTERN SATURDAY | WATCH: ESPN+

Army storyline to watch: Keep an eye on do-it-all midfielder Brigid Duffy, who leads Army in all the things on both ends of the field: goals (26), points (36), draws (36), ground balls (21) and caused turnovers (14). While it’s fun to watch Duffy go to work on offense, watch for her defensive impact this weekend. Loyola’s defense is typically the toast of the Patriot League, but this year, the Black Knights come in with better numbers on paper. Army is 10th nationally in goals-allowed per game (8.0) compared to Loyola (11.57). Loyola’s schedule is tougher, and letting in 21 goals to No. 1 Boston College in game one inflates things. Still, Army’s win over Rutgers (10-9) is nothing to shake a stick at.

Loyola storyline to watch: Battle tested? Scarred? Both? Loyola has not shied away from challenging itself in non-conference play, scheduling games against Boston College (L, 21-6), Johns Hopkins (W, 11-7), Princeton (L, 14-6), Florida (L, 15-9), and on Wednesday, Penn (L, 12-10). As implied above, Loyola’s defense has let in more goals than usual. But running the table in the Patriot League has long been another expectation for Loyola. Army is unranked but on the cusp of the  Top 20. Will the recent adversity fuel Loyola, or can Army pick apart the defense and become the latest team to shake up the landscape?

No. 11 DUKE (6-2, 2-1 ACC) AT NO. 13 VIRGINIA (4-3, 1-2 ACC) 
12 P.M. EASTERN SATURDAY | WATCH: ESPN+

Duke storyline to watch: Recent wins over Clemson and then-ranked Notre Dame have Duke looking like it’s ready for a breakthrough. In a game that could come down to one goal, keep an eye on Duke netminder Kennedy Everson, who has produced a solid .497 save percentage and is coming off a season-high 12-save day against Campbell on Monday.

Virginia storyline to watch: The Hoos entered 2025 with higher expectations after impressing in season one under Sonia LaMonica. But after a 2-0 start, UVA is 2-3 in its last five. Another enigma: The draw had previously been Virginia’s Achilles’ heel but is a strength this year, with Kate Galica sitting seventh in Division I with 9.43 draws per game. Galicia is one to watch, but the Cavs have been hit or miss on taking advantage of her skills on the circle. Virginia will go through spurts when it looks dominant only to follow with a drought that lets opponents stay in the game (or go ahead and pull away). More consistency will become critical as ACC play heats up.

NO. 15 MICHIGAN (5-2, 0-0 BIG TEN) AT NO. 6 MARYLAND (4-1, 0-0 BIG TEN) 
1 P.M. EASTERN SATURDAY | WATCH: BIG+

Michigan storyline to watch: Michigan’s stout defense could give Maryland’s young offense fits. The Wolverines are yielding fewer than eight goals per game, and Erin O’Grady is playing like every bit the first-team All-American (.573 SV%, 7.86 GAA).

Maryland storyline to watch: After looking — frankly — lost in game one against Syracuse, the Terps seem to have found their footing. The defense has led the way, which is a familiar refrain. The unit entered the week averaging less than nine goals allowed per game, buoyed by sophomore goalie and first-year starter JJ Suriano’s play in cage. How the defense fares against the one-two much of Michigan’s Jill Smith (19G, 12A) and Kaylee Dyer (16G, 12A) remains to be seen.

NO. 14 JOHNS HOPKINS (5-2, 0-0 BIG TEN) at USC (6-1, 0-0 BIG TEN) 
4 P.M. EASTERN SUNDAY | WATCH: BIG+

Johns Hopkins storyline to watch: The need to play a full 60 minutes has been a common refrain in Hopkins’ world for the last two years. Yet no team is better in the waning minutes this year. The Blue Jays have played seven games, and five were decided by one goal. They’re 4-1 in those games, with the lone loss being to the Gators on opening day and the most recent win coming against the Orange in the Salt City on an overtime winner from MK Lescault.

USC storyline to watch: Despite all the chatter of USC’s pending frequent flier miles as it moves to the Big Ten, the Trojans won’t rack any of those up this weekend. In fact, USC has yet to leave California all season and won’t have to as it makes its long-awaited Big Ten debut.

NO. 4 YALE (7-0) AT NO. 7 STANFORD (7-1) 
4 P.M. EASTERN SUNDAY | WATCH: ACCX

Yale storyline to watch: Yale’s defense has yet to let in more than eight goals in a game and is currently first in Division I with five goals allowed per game. But Stanford’s offense is the most potent one the Bulldogs will face yet, averaging 15 goals per game.

Stanford storyline to watch: The Cardinal host ACC foe Virginia Tech before engaging in arguably the weekend’s most interesting duel: A late-Sunday, non-conference bout with a Yale team on the rise. The Cardinal’s balanced attack, led by Aliya Polisky (26G, 5A), Elise Murphy (9G, 22A) and Ava Arceri (22G, 7A, 22DC) will be crucial against a Yale defense that makes few mistakes. 

DON’T MISS, DIVISION II EDITION

NO. 3 PACE AT NO. 2 FLORIDA SOUTHERN 
12 P.M. EASTERN SUNDAY | WATCH: SSC DIGITAL NETWORK

This relatively new intersectional series began in 2023, with Pace winning two of three thus far, including a victory in the 2023 NCAA semifinals. Sunday’s game is the first of a powerhouse twin bill for the Setters, who also visit No. 1 Tampa three days later. A sweep would launch Pace back into the top spot in the national ranking and likely position Coach Tricia Molfetta’s squad as the championship favorite in 2025. FSC picked up its fourth Top 20 win earlier this week against No. 10 UIndy, led by four goals from senior Giana Murphy.

NO. 9 KUTZTOWN AT NO. 8 SAINT LEO 
11 A.M. EASTERN SUNDAY | WATCH: SSC DIGITAL NETWORK

Both squads are off to their best starts in recent years and are looking to cement their legitimacy as 2025 contenders. Kutztown has carried the momentum of last year’s program-best 15-win campaign into the 2025 season, led by All-Americans Sam Graf (19G) at midfield and Lailah ElBouazzaoui (18G) on attack. Saint Leo moved into the top 10 for the first time in program history after recording its first top-10 win at Flagler on Feb 15. The Lions’ only loss is to No. 2 FSC.

— Paul Ohanian