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.

THE THEME OF THIS WEEKEND in Division I women’s lacrosse? Friends turned foes.

At least as it pertains to two of the top transfers this spring.

Andie Aldave and top-ranked North Carolina take on Notre Dame, her former, team in an ACC measuring stick for the Irish. An up and down team in 2022, Notre Dame could prove quite a bit with a strong showing against the Tar Heels.

In the Big Ten, Maryland’s Aurora Cordingley squares off against her former Johns Hopkins teammates. Maryland, needing to re-establish some momentum after falling to James Madison last weekend, is surely benefiting from the presence of Cordingley. She’s been a dynamo on the offensive end.

Meanwhile, the scrappy Blue Jays are lacking a true signature win but have been uber-competitive against some of the best teams on their schedule.

Here’s what else you should be watching this weekend.

GAMES TO WATCH
ALL TIMES EASTERN

GAME OF THE WEEK

No. 17 USC at No. 14 Michigan

The lack of a true marquee matchup between teams in the top 10 lets us shift our focus to two teams trying to regain their early season momentum. Michigan, fresh off a Big Ten loss to Notre Dame, welcomes a USC team to Ann Arbor that has won four of five games but lost a pivotal Pac-12 game to Stanford last Sunday.

There are two must-see midfielders — among several other notable talents — vying for position in this one. Michigan’s Caitlin Muir and USC’s Kelsey Huff are two of the nation’s best, and with two teams that thrive off midfield play, may the best unit win.

USC would do well to dominate between the 30s, because Michigan holds the edge defensively and in goal. Arielle Weissman has been excellent between the pipes for the Wolverines, and if she gets in a rhythm, she’s a showstopper.

In what could be a low-scoring, down-to-the-wire duel between top-20 teams, make sure you’re tuning in.

UPSET WATCH

No. 3 Northwestern at Penn State

On a slate that doesn’t have a clear-cut favorite for “upset watch,” let’s take a shot at a Big Ten rival featuring a team on a roll and another team that might be figuring things out.

Penn State is on a two-game losing streak, sure, but the Nittany Lions have lost each game by one — including a 12-11 result to a superior Princeton team. The Penn State offense is diverse, featuring six players with at least 13 goals and eight with at least 10 points.

Kara Nealon (20 assists) and Kristin O’Neill (25 goals) have been a lethal combination. Against a Northwestern team that’s prone to letting in a few goals, Penn State could catch the Wildcats by surprise — especially if Kayla Abernathy can keep up with Northwestern’s Jillian Girardi on the draw.

BEST GAME NO ONE’S TALKING ABOUT

Saint Joseph’s at No. 16 Richmond

Both of these Atlantic 10 teams lost key transfers in the offseason. Stephanie Kelly went from St. Joe’s to Rutgers, and Sam Geiersbach went from Richmond to North Carolina. Still, there’s exceptional talent on both sides, even if the faces are a little unfamiliar.

The Hawks throttled the Spiders 19-8 last April, a game in which Kelly initiated the offense with seven assists. Lisa Ross has stepped into the primary distributor’s role this season with 15 assists, and she’s helped Lauren Figura to 33 goals through 10 games.

Richmond has some offensive punch, too, with Arden Tierney (20 goals, 20 assists) leading a group featuring eight others with at least 13 points.

UNDER-THE-RADAR STARS

Lauren Figura, Saint Joseph’s

Figura was a fixture for the Hawks in 2021, scoring 46 goals over 16 games (15 starts). She’s elevated her production on a per-game basis and is on pace to set career highs in goals and points (54 in 2021). She’s an efficient scorer (59 percent in 2021, 57.9 percent in 2022) and has stepped up on an offense that lost leadership.

Hailey Rhatigan, Mercer

The Bears begin a stretch of eight straight Big South games to close the regular season, and Hailey Rhatigan’s production could take Mercer far. She has 34 goals and eight assists through just eight games, and she’s another player on pace to shatter career marks. In 14 games last season, she accrued 47 goals.

Hayley Hunt, Lehigh

The Lehigh offense gets a ton of praise for its craftiness, but on the other end of the field, Stony Brook transfer Haley Hunt has been exceptional. She’s fourth nationally with 12.3 saves per game and has double-digit stops in eight of 10 games — including a pair of 17-save outings against La Salle and Navy.