The Division I women’s lacrosse championship is down to its final four aspirants. Each program arrives at the shore of Lake Michigan with a unique mission statement.North Carolina is here to defend its crown. The Tar Heels won last year’s title to clinch a perfect season. Northwestern takes its home field with a chance at redemption. The Wildcats have lost the past two tournament finals by just five combined goals.Maryland bids to restore glory. The Terrapins are the most decorated outfit in the sport with 14 NCAA championships, but they haven’t reigned supreme since 2019. And then there’s Johns Hopkins, which goes for its first-ever national triumph.Friday’s penultimate matchups pair UNC and Maryland, then Northwestern and Johns Hopkins. The winners advance to Sunday’s finale. Here’s how to watch all the closing action.Division I women’s lacrosse championship schedule
Venue: Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium — Evanston, Ill.
Dates: May 22 and 24
GameTime (ET)TVStreamNorth Carolina vs. Maryland3 p.m., Fri.ESPNUFubo (Watch Now)Northwestern vs. Johns Hopkins5:30 p.m., Fri.ESPNUFubo (Watch Now)ChampionshipNoon, Sun.ESPNFubo (Watch Now)All ESPN programs are also available with an ESPN Unlimited subscription.UNC followed its unbeaten campaign with a 16-1 mark heading into this year’s tournament. On Selection Sunday, it was seeded at No. 2, which came with a bye. The Heels cruised to a 17-6 win over Clemson in the second round, and then handled Stanford with a 14-11 victory in the quarterfinals.Star Chloe Humphrey put up a hat trick in that last outing, as did fellow sophomore Addison Pattillo. North Carolina’s defense set the tone with 20 turnovers forced. The program is now two more Ws from back-to-back trophy lifts.No. 3 Maryland counters with similar defensive intensity. After a first-round bye of their own, the Terps allowed an average of just nine goals across their two tourney wins. JJ Suriano, the Big Ten’s goaltender of the year, snared nine saves versus Navy in the quarterfinal round.On the other end, Maryland’s attack was buoyed by two hat tricks from Keeley Block and Lauren LaPointe. The all-time national title leader now gets an opportunity to dethrone the most recent conqueror.Top-seeded Northwestern earned a bye, then blew out James Madison. Its quarterfinal versus Colorado became an instant classic — the Wildcats prevailed 13-12 in double overtime. Midfielder Noel Cumberland netted the winning goal on a charge to the arc. Madison Taylor and Taylor Lapointe led the attack’s second-half comeback. Jenika Cuocco, a graduate transfer from Drexel, held her end down with six saves plus a ground ball and caused turnover.Friday marks Northwestern’s seventh straight semifinal appearance. Its opponent, fellow Big Ten member Johns Hopkins, also advanced to this round off the strength of a wild comeback.The No. 4 Blue Jays trailed Stony Brook by one with less than two minutes to play … only to score twice and escape with a stirring win. Paige Willard, a freshman breakout, delivered the tying strike. Taylor Hoss, who assisted Willard’s equalizer, then walked it off as time expired.The team scored 21 goals in each of the prior two rounds. Hopkins next assumes the role of fearless underdog against Evanston’s perennial contender. The Wildcats topped the Blue Jays 16-12 in their regular-season meeting on March 29.Recent women’s lacrosse national championships
