Weekend One-Liners: It Can't Get Any Crazier, Right?
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© 2024 USA Lacrosse. All Rights Reserved.
© 2024 USA Lacrosse. All Rights Reserved.
Last week was wild. From defending champion Northwestern going down to now-No. 2 Notre Dame to Colorado’s upset of Penn State, nothing feels like a sure thing after last weekend. But that’s what makes lacrosse fun.
This week brings the start of ACC action — yes, already — and the Fighting Irish aren’t doing Irish jigs. After routing Butler, they’ll host a Syracuse team in search of its first top-five win. Elsewhere, old out-of-conference rivalries are renewed, and some teams look to regain footing after early — at times, unexpected — losses.
It can’t get any crazier, can it?
No. 6 North Carolina (2-1) at No. 15 Virginia (3-0) – Friday, 5 p.m. (ACCX)
Jenny Levy is known for her work building the Tar Heels into a perennial title contender but won her first national championship as a college athlete at Virginia, making her one of four people to earn rings as a player and head coach.
No. 1 Boston College (4-0) at Pitt (1-2) – Saturday, 11 a.m. (ACCX)
Newly minted No. 1 Boston College opens its ACC title defense at a time ideal for Saturday brunch viewing.
No. 16 Florida (0-2) at No. 5 Maryland (3-0) – Saturday, 11 a.m. (BIG+)
These two programs went back-and-forth in last year’s meeting, which Maryland took 14-13 on a late-minute goal by Victoria Hensh.
No. 7 Syracuse (1-2) at No. 2 Notre Dame (4-0) - Saturday, 12 p.m. (ACCX)
The big winners in week two, Notre Dame welcomes a Syracuse team on the hunt for its first top-10 win of the season.
No. 12 Johns Hopkins (3-1) at No. 14 Penn (1-0) – Saturday, 12 p.m. (ESPN+)
The No. 12 Blue Jays look to rebound after letting in seven fourth-quarter goals in Wednesday’s loss to Loyola against the defending Ivy champion Penn, which nipped Drexel 11-8 last weekend.
Yale (2-0) at Temple (4-0) – Saturday, 12 p.m. (ESPN+)
Yale and Temple have spent the better parts of the last few seasons this close to taking the next step and now clash in a battle of undefeated teams on Saturday.
No. 20 Clemson (3-0) at Duke (2-2), Saturday, 12 p.m. (ACC Network)
Clemson downed Duke last season in what was then a signature win for the Tigers but is arguably the favorite this time around.
No. 18 Princeton (0-1) at Penn State (2-1) – Saturday, 1 p.m. (BTN+)
Penn State used a five-point effort from Kristin O’Neill to breeze by Pitt in a midweek matchup, but a win over Princeton would truly give the Nittany Lions their mojo back after last weekend’s loss to Colorado.
Villanova (2-1) at No. 17 Navy (3-0), Saturday, 3 p.m. (ESPN+)
With Ava Yovino currently sidelined, Emily Messinese has become the Mids’ workhorse, posting 13 goals on the season with a hat trick in Navy’s 18-9 win over Mount St. Mary’s on Wednesday.
No. 8 Michigan (3-0) at No. 13 USC (3-0) – Saturday, 3 p.m. (USC Live Stream)
Expect a defensive clinic.
Albany (0-4) at No. 4 James Madison (4-0) – Sunday, 12 p.m. (ESPN+)
Fresh off a win over old CAA rival Towson, James Madison welcomes a winless Albany team that didn’t back down early in hard-knock losses to ranked foes in Johns Hopkins and Boston College.
Beth Ann Mayer is a Long Island-based writer. She joined USA Lacrosse in 2022 after freelancing for Inside Lacrosse for five years. She first began covering the game as a student at Syracuse. When she's not writing, you can find her wrangling her husband, two children and surplus of pets.
