The Sunday Slide: Chaos. Just Chaos.

Well, the chaos is here.

You never quite know when it’s going to show up in a given season. And there are no warning signs of its arrival. Chaos does not knock. It busts the door down with a flying roundhouse kick and crashes the party.

Unannounced shockers are part of why we all love sports. With all due respect to the juggernaut that is North Carolina, watching chalk prevail isn’t always fun. This week alone, three teams ranked in the top five of the USA Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20 lost.

It started Monday when Colorado went to Evanston and shocked Northwestern. Usually Tuesdays are reserved for the scaries in lacrosse, but the rare Monday game proved equally as frightful for the Wildcats.

Boston College was the next top-five team to falter, this time to an up-and-coming Notre Dame team that went through its growing pains a year ago but is a different beast after that growth spurt. The Irish are now 4-0 after beating Harvard on Sunday, and Boston College is 0-2 for the first time in 20 years.

Finally, Florida fell victim to the upset epidemic when Michigan rolled through Gainesville and chomped the Gators 12-10.

What does it all mean? Rankings, for one, are going to vary widely just two weeks into the spring. But more importantly, there are seemingly no sure things in women’s lacrosse in 2026.

And that sounds fun to me.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS

There was also chaos in Division II. Two-time defending champion and preseason No. 1 Tampa couldn’t handle UIndy, falling 10-6. The Greyhounds defense limited preseason player of the year Peyton Howell to just one assist on an 0-for-6 shooting day, and Malaena Michielin posted a hat trick on the other end.

Peaking in February isn’t important. Virginia (0-3) and Boston College (0-2) would gladly experience their struggles now if it meant clicking in the NCAA tournament. It’s still odd to see two of the ACC’s best going through it like they are right now. Getting that first win in their pockets will be big.

Pitt is off to a fine 2-0 start with wins over Ohio State and Duke. The Duke win looks even better after the Blue Devils took Johns Hopkins to overtime Sunday afternoon. The Panthers looked good in their 2022 debut before taking a step back for a couple years. They went 8-8 last year and now look like more improvement is here.

Cindy Timchal and Navy consistently produce another wave of offensive talent. Add sophomore Taylor Miles to the list. She played in 21 games and started nine a year ago, but now as a full-time starter, Miles has elevated her game. She had three goals and six assists in an 18-5 win over Villanova, adding yet another weapon to an offense that already has several.

The Kayla Treanor Effect is already working for Penn State. Nobody is claiming any massive victories in February, but the Nittany Lions are 3-0 in Treanor’s first three games as head coach with an offense that looks to be a high-flying one. They’ve scored 48 goals in three games.

Just what everyone expected when two talented offenses got together — a 10-9 game in which Stanford beat Clemson. Aliya Polisky only had one goal, a testament to an unheralded Clemson defense. I think both of these teams will go far in 2026.

FUN WITH NUMBERS

2006 • The last time Boston College started a season 0-2 — before 2026, of course. After losses to Northwestern and Notre Dame to start the season, the Eagles are in unfamiliar territory.

9 • Years in a row James Madison and UConn have played a neutral site regular season game at USA Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Md. The Dukes have won all nine, including 13-11 on Saturday.

10 • Straight goals scored by Notre Dame on Sunday (five by Kate Timarky) to erase a 6-0 deficit and beat Harvard 10-7.

12 • Players who scored goals for Penn State in its 21-9 win over Bucknell on Sunday. Freshman Rocquette Allen led the Nittany Lions with five goals.

142 • Career goals scored by Kori Edmondson, who passed her head coach, Cathy Reese, on the Maryland career goals list on Saturday.