Northwestern has been the team to beat all season in NCAA women's lacrosse. Now, it's time to see if the Wildcats can win back-to-back national championships.
The 2024 NCAA tournament will get underway May 10, with the Wildcats (15-2) as the top overall seed. The 2023 champs aren't a lock to repeat, though, as evidenced by the pair of losses on their resume and two close calls in the Big Ten Tournament heading into NCAAs.
Northwestern's top challenger figures to be 2021 champ Boston College (16-3), which will look for its second title amid an agonizing recent run in NCAAs. The Eagles have been to six consecutive championship games, losing all but one.
B.C. enters the tournament riding high after winning the ACC Tournament and will be hoping to avenge a regular-season home loss to Northwestern when it really matters.
The balance of power in women's lacrosse rests squarely on the ACC-Big Ten axis, with Syracuse, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Virginia also expected to contend for the title.
Here's how to watch all the action on the way to the national championship.
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NCAA women's lacrosse tournament bracket 2024
The 2024 NCAA women's lacrosse tournament will feature 29 teams, with the top three seeds receiving first-round byes. There are eight nationally seeded teams overall, and they will host first- and second-round games.
National seeds
- No. 1: Northwestern
- No. 2: Boston College
- No. 3: Syracuse
- No. 4: Maryland
- No. 5: Virginia
- No. 6: Yale
- No. 7: Notre Dame
- No. 8: Penn
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐃𝐈 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭 🥍🏆#NCAAWLAX pic.twitter.com/EfchNSyHMB
— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAALAX) May 6, 2024
NCAA women's lacrosse tournament schedule, scores
First round
| Date | Scores | Host |
| May 10 | No. 4 Maryland 17, Robert Morris 1 | Maryland |
| May 10 | No. 6 Yale 17, Binghamton 4 | Yale |
| May 10 | No. 7 Notre Dame 24, Coastal Carolina 6 | Notre Dame |
| May 10 | No. 8 Penn 16, Richmond 5 | Penn |
| May 10 | Stony Brook 19, Niagara 7 | Syracuse |
| May 10 | James Madison 14, Penn State 13 | Maryland |
| May 10 | No. 5 Virginia 21, LIU 6 | Virginia |
| May 10 | Johns Hopkins 11, Fairfield 5 | Yale |
| May 10 | Michigan 17, Mercer 6 | Notre Dame |
| May 10 | Princeton 14, Drexel 9 | Boston College |
| May 10 | Denver 13, Stanford 12 | Northwestern |
| May 10 | Loyola (Md.) 16, Duke 11 | Penn |
| May 10 | Florida 17, North Carolina 8 | Virginia |
Second round
| Date | Scores | Host |
| May 12 | No. 2 Boston College 21, Princeton 16 | Boston College |
| May 12 | Michigan 15, No. 7 Notre Dame 14 | Notre Dame |
| May 12 | No. 4 Maryland 17, James Madison 7 | Maryland |
| May 12 | No. 8 Penn 12, Loyola (Md.) 9 | Penn |
| May 12 | Florida 13, No. 5 Virginia 8 | Virginia |
| May 12 | No. 1 Northwestern 17, Denver 4 | Northwestern |
| May 12 | No. 3 Syracuse 15, Stony Brook 10 | Syracuse |
| May 12 | No. 6 Yale 9, Johns Hopkins 7 | Yale |
Quarterfinals
| Date | Scores |
| May 16 | Florida 15, No. 4 Maryland 9 |
| May 16 | No. 3 Syracuse 19, No. 6 Yale 9 |
| May 16 | No. 2 Boston College 14, Michigan 9 |
| May 16 | No. 1 Northwestern 20, No. 8 Penn 7 |
Semifinals
The NCAA women's lacrosse tournament semifinals will be played at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.
| Date | Game | Time (ET) | Channel/Live stream |
| Fri., May 24 | No. 1 Northwestern vs. Florida | 3 p.m. | ESPNU, Fubo |
| Fri., May 24 | No. 2 Boston College vs. No. 3 Syracuse | 5:30 p.m. | ESPNU, Fubo |
National championship game
The national championship game will be played at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.
| Date | Game | Time (ET) | Channel/Live stream |
| Sun., May 26 | Semifinal winners | 12 p.m. | ESPN, Fubo |
NCAA women's lacrosse tournament TV channel, live stream
The first two rounds will air exclusively on ESPN+. The quarterfinals and semifinals will air on ESPNU, and the championship game will be on ESPN. Fans can stream every game from the quarterfinals on via Fubo, which offers a free trial.
If NCAA lacrosse games are not available to watch live in your location or if you're traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs provide a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.
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NCAA lacrosse tournament tickets 2024
- Tickets: StubHub
Tickets for both the NCAA women's lacrosse championship are available for purchase on StubHub, using the link below.
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