NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Tournament Quarterfinal Preview

The NCAA Division I women's lacrosse quarterfinals features four staggered games on Thursday. Seven of the top eight seeds advanced to the quarterfinals with Stanford the only unseeded team to move on. 

Here's what you need to know for the quarterfinals. 

All times Eastern. All games on ESPNU.

BALTIMORE 

#5 Stony Brook (19-2) at #4 Johns Hopkins (16-4) 
Thursday, 12 p.m. 
On the Call: Jay Alter, Sheehan Stanwick Burch

How They Got Here 

Stony Brook is riding a 15-game winning streak and snapped Boston College’s run of quarterfinal appearances at eight straight with a 10-9 victory over the Eagles in the second round on Long Island. Star midfielder Isabella Caporusico had four goals in the Stony Brook win and Haydin Eisfeld’s stick check on a free position attempt by Boston College in the closing seconds sealed the win. 

Johns Hopkins poured in 21 goals in each of its two NCAA tournament wins – 21-7 over UAlbany and a 21-13 against Army. Ava Angello had a combined 13 goals in those victories and has an even 100 points for the season (74g, 26a). 

Series History 

That 15-game Stony Brook winning streak? It started after a 13-11 loss to Johns Hopkins on March 8. Hopkins was won three straight in the series – by a combined five goals – but Stony Brook still leads the all-time series 7-6. The Seawolves won six straight from 2016 to 2023 with no games during played during the COVID-impacted seasons of 2020 and 2021. 

Storyline to Watch 

Stony Brook is in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2022 and for Hopkins it’s the program’s first trip since 2007. At stake is an even bigger prize. Neither program has been to the final four at the Division I level in their history, meaning that we’re guaranteed a fourth team making its semifinal debut in the last 10 years – joining Boston College (2017), Navy (2017) and Denver (2023). 

EVANSTON, ILL.

 #8 Colorado (16-3) at #1 Northwestern (16-3) 
Thursday, 2:30 p.m. 
On the Call: Drew Carter, Charlotte North

How They Got Here 

Colorado carried the momentum of a Big XII championship into the NCAA tournament and pulled out a pair of tight wins, beating Jacksonville 10-9 and state rival Denver 11-9. The Buffs trailed in both games, but the nation’s No. 1 defense (6.63 goals allowed per game) stood strong and let the team rally. Maddie Shoup leads the Colorado offense with 63 points and definitely has grit. She was all smiles after getting part of her front tooth knocked out in the waning moments of the Denver game as the Buffs were running out the clock. 

After some early-season struggles, Northwestern has been rolling. An 8-7 overtime win against Maryland in the Big Ten championship game locked down the No. 1 seed and a bye for the Wildcats and they pounced on JMU 17-5 in the second round. Madison Taylor had eight goals in the win over JMU and her 52 career NCAA tournament goals are the second most in history, trailing only her former teammate Izzy Scane’s 63. 

Series History 

Northwestern’s early-season struggles included a 10-9 loss in Evanston to Colorado. It was just Colorado’s second win in the series with Northwestern and the Wildcats hold a 5-2 advantage. The teams have plenty of familiarity as Colorado head coach Ann Elliott Whidden played and coached under Northwestern head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller at Northwestern. Whidden, a captain for the 2007 Northwestern team, won a combined six national championships, three each as a player and coach. The duo has also teamed up with the U.S. women’s national team. Amonte Hiller was the head coach and Whidden an assistant coach for the 2019 (U19) and 2024 (U20) U.S. teams that won gold. 

Storyline to Watch 

Northwestern is 37-0 all-time in home playoff games under head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller and the Wildcats don’t have to leave Evanston this year with the school hosting next weekend’s final four.

COLLEGE PARK, MD. 

#6 Navy (20-1) at #3 Maryland (17-3) 
Thursday, 5 p.m. 
On the Call: Jay Alter, Sheehan Stanwick Burch

How They Got Here 

Navy pulled off a high-wire act, coming back from a three-goal deficit to beat Massachusetts 17-16 on Mikayla Williams’ goal with 35 seconds left in the NCAA’s first round. That was nothing compared to the encore, as the Mids rallied from a 10-4 second-half deficit against Syracuse’s lockdown defense, winning 11-10 in overtime on Alyssa Chung’s game-winner. Chung, a Tewaaraton finalist, has 111 points this season for a team that has won nine in a row since its only loss – a 19-14 setback to Loyola on March 28. 

After a first-round bye, the Terps jumped out quickly on Big Ten rival Rutgers and two key late goals by Keeley Block helped seal an 11-8 victory over the Scarlet Knights. Maryland is no stranger to close games – all three of its Big Ten tournament games were one-goal affairs, a 10-9 win over Ohio State, a 15-14 overtime win against Johns Hopkins and an 8-7 overtime loss to Northwestern. The Terps feature two of the very best players in the country – U.S. national team midfielder Kori Edmondson (46 goals, 71 draw controls) and All-American goalie J.J. Suriano (51.9 save percentage). 

Series History 

Despite their close proximity, this is just the fourth all-time meeting between the two programs and the first since 2020. Maryland has won all three of the previous meetings. 

Storyline to Watch 

The legend vs. her mentee. Navy head coach Cindy Timchal won eight national championships as the head coach at Maryland and topped 600 career wins this season. Her coaching tree is insane – 34 head coaches at the NCAA Division I level trace back to her – though few have been as successful as Maryland head coach Cathy Reese. Reese played and coached at Maryland under Timchal and has led the Terps to five national championships of her own since taking over the program from Timchal. Reese is closing in on 400 career victories with 393 entering the game. 

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. 

Stanford (17-4) at #2 North Carolina (17-1) 
Thursday, 7:30 p.m. 
On the Call: Leah Secondo, Courtney Martinez Connor

How They Got Here 

Stanford took down a pair of Big Ten schools to get a third shot at North Carolina this season. The Cardinal went defensive in their NCAA opener, shutting down Penn State 7-5 before beating host and No. 7 seed Michigan 13-12 on Jordyn Case’s goal with 50 seconds remaining. The Cardinal have already won a school record 17 games and are in the quarterfinals for the first time in program history. 

After giving up the first goal of its NCAA tournament game to Clemson, North Carolina ripped off the next 16 goals of the game, holding the Tigers scoreless for more than 40 minutes in a 17-6 victory. The reigning national champs have won eight in a row, including an ACC championship, since their only loss of the season, a 17-16 overtime defeat to Northwestern on March 25. 

Series History 

This will be the third match-up between North Carolina and Stanford this season, but just the sixth meeting all-time between the two schools. The Tar Heels have won all five previous meetings, including an 18-9 win in Chapel Hil on April 10 and a 12-8 win in the ACC championship game in Charlotte on April 26. 

Storyline to Watch 

North Carolina’s Chloe Humphrey is having one of the greatest seasons in college lacrosse history, including an 11-point effort (7g, 4a) in the Tar Heels win over Clemson. Humphrey has 99 goals and 45 assists for 144 points this season. Her 8.0 points per game is on track to break the 40-year-old NCAA record of 7.81 set by Virginia’s Lindsey Sheehan in 1986. Humphrey is 10 goals behind the single-season goals record of 109 set by Northwestern’s Madison Taylor last year and 20 points behind the single-season points record of 164 set by Stony Brook’s Kylie Ohlmiller in 2017. If North Carolina reaches the national championship game and Humphrey produces at her current pace, she would break both records.