If you’ve found yourself asking, “Is it 2021 yet?” you’re not alone. But in the last week of the year that seemingly had no end, we decided to look back at some of the bright spots. Here are the 20 best moments in lacrosse from the worst year ever.

January 22

Charlotte North trick shots

North registered 141 goals in two seasons at Duke. Yet it was an after-practice — yes, practice — trick shot that North pulled off back in September 2019 that caused the Boston College junior transfer to make waves on lacrosse Twitter and beyond. The dazzling goal, which would be difficult to describe in its entirety here, gained notoriety in late January after ESPN analyst Paul Carcaterra shared it on his social media channels. 

“My whole intent was to build awareness for this particular athlete, the women's game and lacrosse in general,” Carcaterra said. “We have to inspire young players to have fun with this game and to try the unthinkable.”

Go inside the internet-breaking, jaw dropping trick shot here.

February 15

Florida women end Maryland’s 86-game home winning streak

Seven years, 11 months and five days. That’s how long it had been since the Maryland women’s lacrosse team dropped a game at College Park before No. 16 Florida prevailed 15-14 over the No. 3 Terrapins. 

Shannon Kavanagh scored the game-winner with 49 seconds remaining. The senior midfielder tallied eight goals on 13 shots and earned US Lacrosse Player of the Week honors for her performance.

To check out a photo gallery of the historic win, click here.

February 18

Michael Sowers’ dominance

From Princeton’s first game on February 15 against Monmouth, Michael Sowers was the talk of men’s Division I lacrosse. He registered 11 points on four goals and seven assists, then broke the Ivy League single-game points record with 14 in a 20-11 win over Colgate three days later. 

He put up 47 points through five games, during which Princeton remained undefeated and heightened expectations for the Tigers’ first NCAA tournament appearance since 2012. It was not to be. Beyond his record-breaking play, Sowers made headlines when he transferred to Duke after Princeton elected to not approve the necessary waivers for students who withdraw from the fall semester to use their fifth year of eligibility at the university. 

Sowers received his Princeton diploma in the mail back in June, about a week before he was officially accepted into Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. He highlights our 2021 positional players of the year and has fans fantasizing about a Blue Devils’ offense that also features Dyson Williams, Brennan O’Neill, Joe Robertson and Nakeie Montgomery, among a range of other playmakers. 

March 8

Cornell men defeat Penn State 18-17 in overtime

Jeff Teat changed directions. Then again. And again and again and again until the senior Cornell attackman found a sliver of space on the right wing to fire home the tying goal with 18 seconds remaining in regulation against Penn State. Yet the theatrics weren’t finished in arguably the game of the year, which included a 10-goal run and an eight-goal answer. 

Cornell freshman faceoff specialist Angelo Petrakis kept the Big Red undefeated when he scored the winner with 8 seconds remaining after a 40-yard outlet from Dom Doria. 

Let’s hope for more exciting finishes in 2021.

March 13

Spring Athletes granted extra year of eligibility by NCAA

The whiplash of emotions in the second week of March cannot be overstated. A couple days after the Ivy League announced the cancellation of its season — and every other conference followed — news surfaced that the NCAA would grant a blanket waiver for spring athletes whose seasons were cut short due to COVID-19. On March 30, the NCAA Division I Council verified the decision. 

While the ruling will likely have ramifications for years to come, it will hopefully allow members of the Class of 2020, now 2021, to finish their collegiate careers on their own terms.

March 14

Spencer Hughes’ Kobe Bryant tribute

Before the Bullis School squared off against DeMatha on March 12, junior midfielder Spencer Hughes told videographer Phillip Pham to make sure he was rolling if he scored. Pham was, and he captured one of the most memorable highlight goals of the year — in large part due to Hughes’ celebration when he revealed a vintage Kobe Bryant Lakers jersey underneath his pads. 

Hughes asked Bullis coach Jeff Bellistri before the season if he could change his jersey number from 2 to 24 and decided to wear the Lakers jersey to honor Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., on January 26. Hughes was initially hesitant to show off the tribute.

“Since it was possibly our last game, I had to do it,” he said. 

Other noteworthy highlights that we couldn’t stop watching this year included Kevin Crowley’s improbable milestone goal, Stony Brook attacker Kailyn Hart’s BTB in the Carrier Dome, Lyle Thompson’s one-handed mastery and Josh Byrne’s between the legs “four-button combo.”

March 29

Lacrosse Companies, Athletes Mobilize in the Fight Against COVID-19

“You can take lacrosse out of the community, but you can’t take the community out of lacrosse,” US Lacrosse Magazine editor-in-chief Matt DaSilva wrote back in late March. 

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted that sense of community and willingness to help when various manufacturers shifted their efforts to produce protective equipment for those on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

“It feels a lot like the World War II effort, all of these companies switching over to do what they can to help,” said Jerry Ragonese, co-founder of Pro Athletics, the Los Angeles-based sports uniform and apparel manufacturer. “I don’t look at it as being noble. It’s what the country needs to do in a time of need.”

Hear from more companies that took up the call here.

April 18

Jack Allard released from hospital 

The 26-year-old former two-time All-American attackman at Bates College was in a medically induced coma for 20 days after contracting the novel coronavirus. Throughout that time, he received an outpouring of support from the lacrosse community. 

“That’s the moral of this whole thing: We need to listen to our scientists and our doctors when they give us warnings and give us guidance,” Allard said a couple days after he returned to his family’s home in Ridgewood (N.J.). “People my age think it’s not going to hit them and, if it does, it’s going to be a slight flu. That’s clearly not true. It took me to my knees.”

Learn more about Allard’s story in this feature from Matt DaSilva. 

May 4

Virtual NCAA Champions

In light of the season’s cancellation, our staff knew the lacrosse community needed a way to fill the void. The replacement, like most solutions since mid-March, was virtual. Instead of a Most Outstanding Player award, Syracuse junior attacker Molly Carter earned “Best Performance in a Social Media Video” for throwing out a healthy amount of shade (and Lucky Charms) during the Nike / US Lacrosse Magazine Virtual NCAA Tournament. (Check out the full list of superlative award winners here.)

We received 103,202 votes and generated over 2 million impressions across both the men’s and women’s tournaments, which were hosted on the @uslacrossemag Twitter account. 

Despite a few close calls, it was a Syracuse sweep. We even mocked up a magazine cover of the newly minted (virtual) champs. “Let’s be honest,” wrote one commenter. “This is what would’ve happened had there been no Covid crisis.”

We’ll see if that bears out this spring. 

May 29

Standing at the Crossroads 

In the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police, the lacrosse community underwent a racial awakening that reflected a larger discourse about inequality throughout the United States. At the center of that dialogue was Redwoods LC All-Star attackman Jules Heningburg. The subject of our November cover story, Heningburg published an essay titled “Standing at the Crossroads'' on Twitter on May 29 that shed light on his upbringing in Maplewood, N.J., and his unique perspective on the intersection of race and lacrosse. 

Heningburg’s impact went beyond helping other players of color share their stories. He was pivotal in creating the Black Lacrosse Alliance — composed of the Black players in the Premier Lacrosse League. The BLA has sought to keep the conversation going through a number of initiatives, including advising US Lacrosse’s development of an anti-harassment and discrimination policy and organizing meetings with college lacrosse players of color. 

“I'm not saying that lacrosse needs to be all Black kids,” Heningburg said. “What I'm saying is when there is a limited number of Black kids out there, you have to at the very least make sure they're comfortable being out there, otherwise you're never going to see the game become more diverse. That's what we want. We need more diversity in this sport to grow it.”

July 20

Hampton Names Chazz Woodson Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach  

The Hampton men’s lacrosse program — which has unfortunately canceled spring sports for 2021 — named Chazz Woodson its head lacrosse coach and was praised for the decision. Woodson is not only respected in the sport, but he’s a homegrown lacrosse star ready to bring Hampton to the spotlight.

Our Matt Hamilton checked in with Woodson, who is a member of the US Lacrosse board, to tell his homecoming story.

July 25

Ronnie Fernando Plays for Two Teams in One Day

One of the best stories to come out of the Major League Lacrosse bubble in Annapolis. Ronnie Fernando suited up for both the Chesapeake Bayhawks and Boston Cannons as the MLL’s emergency goalie for its 20th anniversary season.

We wonder if he got a championship ring for his brief tenure with the MLL champs.

In the PLL, Nelson Rice shined a light on Alex Ready and JD Colarusso, the emergency netminders who didn’t get the same opportunity as Fernando but used their experience as something of a showcase for the future.

July 31

The MLL Four 

In July, Major League Lacrosse’s four Black athletes — Kris Alleyne, Isaiah Davis-Allen, Mark Ellis and Chad Tolliver — took a stand against racial injustice and provided lacrosse with some of the most memorable images of the summer’s unique professional seasons.

The four athletes stood together at midfield, sometimes accompanied by allies, to create awareness for racial injustice during the national anthem.

Eventually renamed the Black Players Coalition, the league vowed to hold the MLL accountable on matters related to social justice.

August 9

Zed Williams’ postgame speech

Few individuals captivated lacrosse like Zed Williams, whose heartfelt MVP acceptance speech went viral after Whipsnakes LC went back-to-back. 

“This one’s for my dad,” he said, while choking back tears and still holding his lacrosse stick. Nelson Rice’s cover story from the September/October edition is a must-read on Williams’ background and motivations. Williams also appeared on “Overtime” with Paul Carcaterra.

August 12

People Praise PLL Bubble

The PLL bubble in Herriman, Utah, helped provide the blueprint for how professional sports leagues could then play their own bubble or COVID-safe seasons. The PLL didn’t have a single positive test while in Utah, a testament to the league’s commitment to safety and the players’ commitment to making sure there would be games to play and watch.

The Ringer went inside how the league built it.

August 27

Our Partnership with Blaxers Blog

On August 27, we announced our content partnership with Blaxers Blog, a joint effort by our staff and theirs to promote underrepresented voices in the sport of lacrosse. 

Two key contributors to Blaxers Blog — Virginia Tech’s Angie Benson and New York Lizards’ Mark Ellis — host Instagram live chats called “Let’s Talk About it,” bringing Black and other minority stories to the forefront.

We featured both Benson (here) and Ellis (here) in an effort to tell their stories, too.

September 7

Iroquois Nationals Join The World Games

Few lacrosse stories from 2020 showcase the power of what happens when a community comes together. Initially excluded from The World Games, the Iroquois Nationals received public attention thanks to a social media push for their inclusion.

And now, a timeline within a timeline:

— July 24: US Lacrosse endorses the Iroquois Nationals’ inclusion
— July 24: A piece from Matt DaSilva on the debate over sovereignty
— September 2: Ireland Lacrosse, in a show of sportsmanship, withdraws from TWG
— September 7: The Iroquois Nationals accept an invitation to TWG
— December 21: Haudenosaunee women extended invitation to TWG
— December 23: Jeremy Redmon on the spirit of cooperation between the Irish and the Iroquois

The months-long conversation and debate hopefully created a renewed respect for the originators of lacrosse. Matt Hamilton spoke to Lyle Thompson about more on that subject.

October 14

Noah Knopf’s Coming-Out Story

We published the first piece in a content partnership with OutSports on October 14, a story about Harvard men’s lacrosse alum Noah Knopf. Knopf came out to his Harvard teammates in November 2019 and was welcomed with open arms by his teammates.

The second piece in the partnership was a first-person essay by Pittsburgh’s Therese Pitman, who described her experiences as a bisexual woman in sports.

Earlier in the year, before we announced our content partnership, we published a first-person piece by Gabriel Kris. Gabe reached out to us on Instagram and asked to tell his story: “I’m not a trans kid, I’m a lacrosse player.”

October 20

Athletes Unlimited Adds Women’s Lacrosse 

On August 13, lacrosse received unfortunate news when we learned that the WPLL would shut its doors, in large part because of financial complications associated with the pandemic. We took a trip down memory lane to recall the top moments in the league’s history.

Thankfully, we received good news about two months later. Athletes Unlimited, the unique, player-driven women’s sports association, is picking up women’s lacrosse to join its softball and volleyball leagues.

Many details are still sparse on how it will all work, but the first season is scheduled for this upcoming summer.

December 16

PLL-MLL merger 

What was once considered a foregone conclusion happened maybe even sooner than the lacrosse world at-large thought. After two seasons operating in competition, the Premier Lacrosse League and Major League Lacrosse merged.

They will operate under the PLL name, and the league will add the Boston Cannons — now called Cannons LC, to fit with PLL naming conventions — as the league’s eighth club for 2021.

Matt Hamilton and Nelson Rice did an excellent job getting opinions on the merger from a variety of different corners of professional men’s lacrosse.

“Now I think a lot of guys feel like at least everybody who is a supporter of pro lacrosse has their oars in the water, rowing in the same direction,” Archers LC defenseman Matt McMahon said. “That’s exciting as a player. For the sport at a professional level, it feels like it has a clearer path to the other major U.S. sports.”