New teams emerging as ranked teams, the graduation of some dominant players for top teams last year, and what were past championship contenders falling in the rankings.
While some of the same teams continue to dominate, this season, the women’s lacrosse game has also seen some great upsets.. I’m taking a look at this week’s NCAA D1 women’s lacrosse rankings, and bringing you my thoughts on the top 5 teams so far, plus a couple teams that I think you should keep on your radar as the season progresses.
1. Boston College
With absolutely no surprise, the Eagles reign supreme defending their top spot since their championship win last May. Boston College is 7-0 and looking great so far this season. The Eagles have appeared in every single championship game since 2016 (excluding the2020 was cancelled due to Covid-19), and they don’t look like they’re letting up anytime soon, balancing veteran leadership and young talent.
Notable wins:
- 21-7 over Loyola (ranked #8 at the time, currently ranked #16)
- 13-9 over Northwestern (currently ranked #3, this was a 2024 AND 2023 championship rematch)
- 15-9 over Notre Dame (ranked #22)
Upcoming games to catch:
- @ #6 Stanford, March 22nd, 1pm ET
- @ #2 UNC, Aprill 5th, 11am ET
- @ #11 Syracuse, April 17th, TBD
2. University of North Carolina
Like Boston, the UNC Tar Heels have been a powerhouse for the past few years, having won the D1 championship in 2022. Some questions about their strength were definitely raised in my mind after the completely disappointing run they had in the postseason last year. Losing to Florida in the first round came as a shock to most fans. So far, UNC has been showing that they are fully prepared this year and are looking to make sure they don’t have a repeat of whatever happened last time around. The Heels are 6-0 so far.
Notable Wins:
- 14-2 over JMU (currently ranked #12)
- 14-9 over Florida (currently ranked #10)
- 16-8 over Syracuse (ranked #4 at the time, currently ranked #11)
Upcoming games to catch:
- Home vs #7 Clemson, March 15th, 12pm ET
- @ #3 Northwestern, March 27th, 8pm ET
- Home vs #1 Boston College, April 5th, 11am ET
3. Northwestern
I had some questions about the ability of the Northwestern attack coming into this season with the loss of, arguably, their top 3 players. Departures included Izzy Scane, their two-time Tewaaraton award-winning attacker, their other star attacker and Tewaaraton nominee Erin Coykendall, and their 6th year goalie, Molly Laliberty. However, Madison Taylor has shut me up. Taylor, who was a 2024 Tewaaraton finalist as just a sophomore, has put this team’s offense on her back, and has absolutely showed out. The Wildcats are looking to make it to the championship game for the third year in a row.
Notable Wins:
- 13-10 over Notre Dame (ranked #11 at the time, currently ranked #22)
- 12-8 over Syracuse (ranked #6 at the time, currently ranked #11)
Upcoming games to catch:
- Home vs #9 Maryland, March 22nd, 1pm CT
- Home vs #2 UNC, March 27th, 7pm CT
- @ #8 Johns Hopkins. April 3rd, 5pm CT
- Home vs #5 Michigan, April 17th, 7pm CT
4. Yale
Although the Bulldogs have not been known to dominate the sport like the three teams above, Yale is beginning to emerge as a team to look out for. Last year, Yale lost in the quarterfinals to Syracuse, after not even making the first round since 2003 (aka the year I was born, which is insane to think about). Key players for the Bulldogs offense include their two 2025 Tewaaraton candidates: attacker Jenna Collignon and midfielder Fallon Vaughn. Vaughn also greatly contributes on the draw and the defense, along with defender Emmy Pascal who was named to the USA Lacrosse D1 Preseason All-American First Team. Yale is currently undefeated (as of 3/6/25). So far, they have had an easier schedule, so I am excited to see how they compete against bigger opponents.
Notable wins:
- 12-6 over Michigan (ranked #4 at the time, currently ranked #5)
Upcoming games to catch:
- @ #6 Stanford, March 16th, 4pm ET
- Home vs #13 Princeton, March 29th, 12pm ET
- Home vs #11 Syracuse, April 2nd, 1pm ET
5. Michigan
Last year, the Wolverines lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual champions, Boston College. In 2023, they lost by one goal in the second round to the eventual champions, Northwestern. So, it’s safe to say, that they’re no stranger to tough competition. Last year, their then junior goalie, Erin O’Grady led their defense, winning both the IWLCA Goalie of the Year and the Big 10 Goalie of the Year. Their attack is led by senior Jill Smith who has a plethora of nominations and awards. This year, she totes Tewaaraton Award Watch List, Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse First Team Preseason All-American, and Big Ten Player to Watch. She was a Tewaaraton nominee her sophomore and junior year as well (2023 & 2024). Another attacker to look out for from is Kaylee Dyer who also was named to this year’s Tewaaraton Award Watch List and Big Ten Player to Watch. However, the 4-2 Wolverines, are going to need some big, ranked, wins to prove they can be contenders for the title this year. I still have some great doubts about this team, as their schedule has been relatively easy. While they have dominated most unranked teams, they were upset by unranked Denver 11-13. The Wolverines’ other loss came by a 6-12 finish against # 4 Yale, as mentioned above. Michigan won’t begin competing against tougher teams until they reach conference play.
Notable wins:
- 15-8 over Penn (ranked #12 at the time, currently ranked #20)
Upcoming games to catch:
- @ #9 Maryland, March 16th, 1pm ET
- Home vs #8 Johns Hopkins, April 13th, 12 pm ET
- @ #3 Northwestern, April 17th, 8pm ET
Others to Watch:
Clemson (6)
Their backer defense has been killing attackers and they’ve been finding the back of the net. They’re showing that by investing in the sport and the athletes you can bring success. They stand tall at 6-0 with ranked victories over Notre Dame and most notably they snatched a win against Syracuse, who was ranked 4th at the time of the game. This came as the program’s first ranked win since they began competing in 2023.
Florida (10)
After losing in the semi-finals to Northwestern in their run during championship weekend last year, the Gators were looking like a dominant team. However, when taking a closer look at the team, you notice that they have an almost completely new roster this year, after losing eight of their starters from 2024, and welcoming 11 freshman, and three transfers. They return defender Theresa Bragg who was named 2025 Big 12 Preseason Defender of the Year. Midfielder Kaitlyn Davies, who was put on the 2025 Tewaaraton Award Watch List and was named Big 12 Preseason Midfielder of the Year, is also back. Big 12 Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year, Elyse Finnel, is another notable returner for the Gators. With leadership and talent coming from all sides of the field, I think we haven’t even started to see all the Florida is capable of yet.
Syracuse (11)
This is a team that only knows success, and so far, they haven’t been seeing it like they typically do. Following their overtime loss to Clemson, they were on a 3 game losing streak. They narrowly snuck out a victory, yet again pushing into overtime, against Stanford over the weekend. If the Orange had lost that game, that would have been the most losses in a row in program history, under any coach, dating back to the start of the women’s lacrosse program in 1998. Still missing their star attacker and draw taker Olivia Adamson, the Syracuse have needed to find other outlets for their success. Of course, the top goal scorer and assister, Emma Ward, has been leading the offense, but more astoundingly, their goalie Daniella Guyette has been absolutely standing on her head in cage. This is a new face, as Cuse fans had gotten used to Delaney Sweitzer in net, however she has transferred to Northwestern this year as a graduate student. Syracuse has been finding their rhythm as they have many young players that are seeing a good amount of playing time. I think although they have seen struggles against ranked teams so far, as their team learns to mesh together, without Adamson, and their younger players get some more game experience, I think they will find more big wins this season, and have a good chance of making a long run through championship weekend in May.
The Rest of Inside Lacrosse’s Week 4 Rankings:
6. Stanford
7. Clemson
8. Johns Hopkins
9. Maryland
10. Florida
11. Syracuse
12. James Madison
13. Princeton
14. Virginia
15. Stony Brook
16. Loyola
17. Duke
18. Navy
19. Harvard
20. Penn
21. Ohio State
22. Notre Dame
23. USC
24. Drexel
25. UConn
