Welcome to the Gameday Guide.

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

Check out the rankings and TV listings for more.

IT’S THE GAME WE’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR.

To steal a line from Patrick Stevens, who previewed a similarly compelling men’s matchup between No. 1 Virginia and No. 2 Maryland on Saturday, Sunday’s 1-v-2 between Boston College and North Carolina has a late-May feel in mid-March.

Regardless of Sunday’s outcome, it appears as if these teams are still on a collision course for Memorial Day Weekend. With the upheaval going on below them in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20, both Boston College and North Carolina remain unscathed. They’ve separated themselves from the pack.

GAMES TO WATCH
ALL TIMES EASTERN

GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 2 North Carolina at No. 1 Boston College

Charlotte North and Taylor Moreno are far from strangers on the field. 

Whether they’re on opposite sidelines in an ACC game or both donning the red, white and blue for the U.S. women’s national team, North and Moreno have each learned the ins and outs of the other’s play style. 

Moreno, North Carolina’s goaltender, knows what to expect when the ball is in North’s stick. And North, Boston College’s leading scorer and the reigning Tewaaraton Award winner, knows just how to keep Moreno on her toes. After spending so much time together on the field, the two have become close friends off the field, too.

“I love her as a person, but I hate playing against her because she’s super talented,” North said of Moreno. 

Moreno and No. 2 UNC will travel to Chestnut Hill to take on North and No. 1 Boston College on Sunday, with the first draw set for 2 p.m. Eastern. Both teams enter undefeated, and, despite it falling early in the teams’ ACC slates, the contest is dripping with playoff potential.

More from Emma Healy here.

UPSET WATCH

James Madison at No. 14 Virginia

The Dukes earned a much-needed win over No. 15 Richmond on Wednesday, and another in-state test looms on Sunday. James Madison will make the short trip to Charlottesville to clash with Virginia, a series that is split 2-2 since 2018.

James Madison, despite the key Richmond win, is still in the market for a few more marquee wins to earn an at-large berth into the NCAA tournament. It has the talent to beat Virginia, which has been up and down — much like JMU — this spring.

This matchup, at least on paper, looks like a coin flip.

BEST GAME NO ONE’S TALKING ABOUT

Davidson at No. 7 Duke

There are seven undefeated teams remaining in Division I women’s lacrosse, and Davidson is one of them. At 6-0, Davidson has a plus-44 goal differential. It has yet to post a signature win, but for the most part, the Wildcats have taken care of business against teams they should beat.

But they head to Durham to face 9-1 Duke on Sunday, and while the Blue Devils are certainly favored, perhaps Davidson can do enough to keep pace. The key to stopping Duke is stopping Maddie Jenner, a one-woman-wrecking-crew on the draw. To that end, Julianne Carey (38 draw controls) and Riley Moore (17) will be essential.

And while Duke is lauded for its deep offense, Davidson’s is pretty deep, too. Seven players have at least 10 points, five have at least 10 goals and the team shoots just shy of 50 percent (.487). If the draws can stay relatively even, this game has sneaky shootout potential.

UNDER-THE-RADAR STARS

Erin Cooke, Davidson

You could list just about the entire Davidson roster here, but let’s start with the team’s points leader. Cooke has 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) as the team’s quarterback. Davidson enters Sunday’s game against Duke undefeated, and its deep offense makes for a tough assignment for any defense.

Katie Vahle, Arizona State

Vahle, a true freshman, has started all five games for the Sun Devils, who appear to have turned the corner after a 2-2 start to the season. ASU thumped Colorado last weekend, and Vahle made six saves in just over 49 minutes. She’s come a long way since allowing 27 goals combined in her first two collegiate games, allowing just 18 over the next three.

Olivia Dooley and Kaleigh Brennan, USC

The entire USC defense — Dooley, Brennan, Lizzy Wagner and Danielle Carson — has been exceptional thus far, but Dooley and Brennan are compiling the big numbers. Dooley, a junior, has 13 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers. Brennan, a senior, has 17 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers. They face a stiff test in Stanford on Sunday.

SMALL COLLEGE GAME OF THE WEEK

Division II — No. 16 Pace (4-0) at No. 7 East Stroudsburg (4-0)
This is the first big test for both teams and the last non-conference battle for each before they plunge deep into league play the rest of the way. ESU, coming off a final four berth last year, has one of the best players in the country in sophomore midfielder Emily Mitarotonda, who tallied six goals in Wednesday's 19-6 win over Millersville. Pace counters with senior Kayla Conway, who tied the team's single-game record with seven goals against St. Rose last week. Featuring two high octane offenses, this should be a fast-paced affair. — Paul Ohanian

FOLLOW US

Follow @USALacrosseMag on Twitter and Instagram for highlights, results and stories from across the college lacrosse landscape, and check back to USALaxMagazine.com for gameday roundups.