Welcome to the Gameday Guide.

Every weekend during the college lacrosse season, US Lacrosse Magazine staff will riff here on the juiciest matchups, trendiest topics, biggest storylines and hottest takes.

Tomorrow should provide a little more clarity on the tightly contested ACC race with a top-five matchup doubleheader. We get the first conference rematch in the form of No. 4 Virginia at No. 3 North Carolina. The Cavaliers have gone on a three-game winning streak since falling 16-13 to UNC on March 11.

No. 1 Duke needed extra time and a diving goal by Joe Robertson to outlast UNC. The Blue Devils take on No. 5 Notre Dame, a team that proved it’s a lot more than a defensive juggernaut with its 18-11 drubbing of Syracuse on the back of four goals and five assists from Pat Kavanagh.

Other highlights this weekend include a pair of high powered Patriot League matchups — No. 9 Army at No. 12 Loyola and No. 18 Navy at No. 8 Lehigh.

Check out the TV listings page for all of this weekend’s games on TV and streaming platforms.

GAMES TO WATCH
All times Eastern

GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 1 Duke at No. 5 Notre Dame

We could probably retitle this section “ACC Game of the Week.” Duke’s last two outings (one-goal wins over Syracuse and North Carolina) were must-watch TV.

The Blue Devils will take their undefeated record on the road to South Bend on Saturday. After Notre Dame dropped its first conference contest 13-12 to Virginia at Arlotta Stadium, the Fighting Irish bounced back in a big way with an 18-11 win over Syracuse. Of particular interest will be the faceoff battle between Duke’s freshman sensation Jake Naso and ND’s veteran two-headed monster of Kyle Gallagher and Charlie Leonard.

UPSET WATCH
Drexel at No. 13 Delaware

Delaware handled Drexel 19-12 the first time the squads met earlier this spring. While the Blue Hens (7-1) and their potent offense are in the midst of a seven-game winning streak and sit atop the CAA, Drexel (4-2) has reeled off a three-game winning streak of its own, including a 12-11 victory over UMass last weekend that avenged the Dragons’ only other loss this season.

Freshman Sean Donnelly tallied eight points on two goals and six assists against the Minutemen and has averaged 4.83 point per game in 2021.

BEST GAME NO ONE’S TALKING ABOUT
No. 15 UMBC at Albany

The America East features two teams in the current Top 20 and several others who have made appearance this season. The Retrievers and their sixth-ranked scoring defense have only had one game this season decided by more than two goals. Three have gone to overtime. The Great Danes still play an exciting brand of lacrosse even without Tehoka Nanticoke, who was dismissed from the team at the end of last month. They’ll try to rebound at home after a 13-8 loss at Syracuse on Thursday.

UNDER-THE-RADAR STARS

Marcus Hudgins, Army

It’s hard to argue that an All-American is “under the radar,” but the Army junior defenseman qualifies. A year after Hudgins earned Inside Lacrosse third-team All-America recognition, he’s continuing to prove he’s one of the best on-ball defensemen not only in the Patriot League, but the country. Most recently, the junior who hails from Syracuse and played LSM his freshman year held Lehigh’s Tommy Schelling to zero points.

James Spence, Lehigh

The senior netminder, who’s started all but one of the 40 games he’s played for Lehigh, made two crucial stops late to preserve the Mountain Hawks’ 13-12 win over Army. Spence registered 10 saves against the Black Knights, and his .611 save percentage ranks fourth in Division I.

John Kiracofe, Michigan

Kiracofe was named Big Ten Specialist of the Week for his 16 saves that helped propel Michigan over Johns Hopkins at Homewood Field last Sunday. It was the second time this season he’s earned that distinction. The first was after he made a career-high 17 saves in Michigan’s win against Penn State. He’ll have his hands full when Maryland comes to Ann Arbor on Saturday.