Who will dominate in Foxborough, and who will struggle?
No. 2 Northwestern (18-2, 8-0 B1G) has finally made it back to the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Final Four. Better yet, they have a guaranteed shot at revenge against No. 3 Boston College (19-2, 8-1 ACC) in the semifinals.
In the 2024 Championship, the Eagles dethroned the ‘Cats 13–14 as a last-minute goal from Izzy Scane was not enough to flip the scoreline in Northwestern’s favor. With another shot at the Eagles — and potentially the title — here is a look at who sits in the way of Northwestern hoisting the trophy once more.
No. 4 University of Florida (20-2, 5-0 Big 12)
The Gators are perhaps the biggest unknowns playing at Gillette Stadium this year. Florida only played seven ranked games until the second round of the NCAA tournament. In those first games, the team was 5–2, with losses to No. 1 North Carolina and No. 8 Johns Hopkins.
Florida was even less known when they made the semifinals last year. The Gators entered the 2024 NCAA tournament unseeded, and beat the UNC, Virginia and Maryland to earn a spot in Cary, NC. This year, however, their credentials speak for themselves.
A five-woman crew runs the nation’s No. 6 scoring offense. Junior attacker Gianna Monaco leads the team with 73 goals and adds 20 assists. Redshirt first-year attacker Frannie Hahn makes sure that Monaco gets the ball, racking up 59 assists and 32 goals.
Graduate attacker Jordan Basso is an elite jack-of-all-trades, posting 36 goals and 38 assists with a team high 63.2 shot percentage. First year attacker Clark Hamilton and junior midfielder Kaitlyn Davies have each scored at least 50 goals.
Many teams have had their hands full with this handful of players. Few have managed to slow them down. The Gators rank No. 1 in the country in turnovers with a mere 10.09 per game and No. 2 in shot percentage at 49.6%. Unable to contain the reptiles, opponents have watched the Gators blow them out of the water, as they rank No. 5 in points per game at 24.64.
Opponents cannot easily take advantage of Florida’s defense either. The swamp puppies have the nation’s No. 6 scoring defense at only 8.95 goals allowed per game. Unlike the other top seeds, however, this is not because of a lone star defender. The Gator’s unwillingness to turn the ball over limits opportunities for opposing attackers and keeps the action out of Florida’s attacking third.
Yes, this is the only team in Foxborough that has never won the championship, but this offensive monster deserves serious recognition, nonetheless.
No. 2 Boston College (19-2, 8-1 ACC)
This season is a tale of twos for the defending champions.
The Eagles have lost only two games all season, both against conference rival North Carolina. Boston College gave up three goals in the fourth quarter to drop the regular season match 11–12. The Tar Heels doubled their late game output with six fourth quarter goals in the final 15:00 to win the ACC championship 14–12. Junior goalkeeper Shea Dolce faced 51 shots on goal over those two games. She saved 25 of them.
Dolce’s excellence between the posts has made her one of the Eagles’ two Tewaaraton finalists. In over 20 hours of play, the junior has the leading save percentage in the nation with 55.4%. Additionally, she is No. 2 in saves (191) and goals against average (7.64). Dolce does not put up many saves per game – Boston College’s defense is much too stingy to allow many shots on goal – but when a shot is fired, she stops it more often than anyone else in the country.
Senior attacker Rachel Clark has been for Boston College’s offense what Dolce is for the defense: an apex predator. Clark has blown through the previous NCAA single-season goals record with 103. She leads the nation by double digits… except for Madison Taylor, that is, who hold the current NCAA record of 105. Clark also leads the nation with 4.9 goals per game… again, except for Madison Taylor.
The excellence of Clark’s season stands even in the shadow of Taylor’s current glory. The odds are that whichever star wins Friday evening will boast the individual scoring record at the season’s end. Still, in Boston College’s 13-9 win over Northwestern on Feb. 15, Clark only managed two goals on 10 shots. The team has relied on senior attackers Emma LoPinto and Mckenna Davis on Clark’s off days. The duo has combined for 101 goals and 108 assists.
As the only team to win two championships since 2018, the Eagles are playing to cement a dynasty. Last year’s victory was sweet. Can they cook in Foxborough this year like they did in Cary last spring?
No. 1 University of North Carolina (20-0, 9-0 ACC)
If North Carolina displays the same form it have shown all season, the tournament is already over.
Since losing to Florida in the first round of the NCAA tournament last year, UNC has been unstoppable. In easily the top conference in the country, the Tar Heels have put the boots to every team on the schedule, and it has not been close. The only teams which gave them any trouble (as in kept the game within eight goals) were Florida, Northwestern and Boston College twice.
On average, North Carolina won those “close games” by nearly three points. The team leads the nation in scoring margin (10.65 goals), scoring offense (17.60 goals) and scoring defense (6.95 goals). Oh… right… the Tar Heels are also first in shots on goal per game (27.75) and assists (202).
That last statistic – assists – is the most indicative of North Carolina’s play: the focus is on the team, not an individual. Graduate attacker Ashley Humphrey is responsible for the most points on the team with 113, but 82 of those points are assists. That freakish number leads the nation and has put her in the conversation for the Tewaaraton this year, despite scoring only 31 times.
Her sister Chloe is also a Tewaaraton finalist. The redshirt freshman (yes, this is her first year) leads the team – and is No. 4 in the nation – with 79 goals. That number is an NCAA record for a first-year. She is second on the team with 27 assists.
The Humphrey sisters run the show, but without selfless and tireless work from North Carolina’s non-feature players, the Tar Heels would have lost several games by this point. Seven players have 11+ caused turnovers. Four players have won 48+ draw controls. It takes a village.
For example, the Humphrey sisters combined for eight goals and six assists against Florida on Feb. 15 (a bit funny that these four teams all played each other that day). However, redshirt junior defender Sam Forrest had just as necessary an impact with four draw controls and ground ball pickups.
UNC displays no obvious weaknesses. Even the best play of the best teams in the country barely comes close to North Carolina’s dominance. With the season on the line, will anyone figure out how to stop this well-oiled machine?
The Final Four kicks off with North Carolina vs. Florida on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. CT.