With the 2020 college lacrosse season coming to an unexpected and abrupt close due to the spread of coronavirus, it’s time to look back at what might have been. These are the biggest storylines we no longer have the chance to see unfold.

 

1. Would UNC have run away with it?

The Tar Heels ended the season undefeated and ranked No. 1, and though the 2020 campaign was brief, they still managed to knock off five ranked teams. Since their last title in 2016, UNC has returned to Championship Weekend every year but fallen short each time. This year, they looked poise to bring the program’s third title back to Chapel Hill, ranking second in the country in scoring an astonishing 19.57 goals per game.

The silver lining for UNC is that they’ll almost certainly be back in the driver’s seat next year. Jamie Ortega, US Lacrosse Magazine’s preseason Player of the Year, is only a junior. Katie Hoeg, a two-time All-American and the UNC record holder for career assists, will reportedly join her. And UNC’s coach has announced that seniors Caroline Wakefield and Catie Woodruff are also planning to return next year.

 

2. Speaking of Notre Dame…

The Fighting Irish opened and ended the season 7-0 for the second straight year, putting a close to what might have been their best chance to return to the Final Four since 2006. They were set to take on No. 1 UNC in their very next game before the cancellations were announced. Now, both teams end their seasons undefeated… Boring!!

But again, there’s a silver lining. Notre Dame’s best offensive players this season were both freshmen. Neither Kasey Choma nor Madison Ahern are going anywhere in a hurry. Choma led the team with 18 goals, while Ahern led the team with 23 points. It’s rare to have two top recruits perform so consistently this early into their college career, and while fans were looking forward to seeing if the duo could keep it up against UNC, they’ll at least have a few more years to watch them in action.

 

3. Would Maryland have recovered?

The reigning national champs, on the other hand, were having a historically bad start to their 2020 season. They were doubled up by Syracuse 10-5 after complaining about the weather in New York and forcing the Orange to drive down and play them in College Park (the game was originally scheduled to take place at Syracuse.) They only lost by one to Florida, but they were pummelled 19-6 by UNC. Could they have just had early season jitters? Would Cathy Reese have righted the ship?

On an individual note, Kali Hartshorn was on track to top lax legend and Maryland alum Taylor Cummings’ single-season program record for draw controls (144). Now barring a potential fifth year, she won’t get the chance.

 

4. In memoriam: the behind-the-backs that could have been 

Even in a shortened season, we saw an insane amount of behind-the-back goals this year. The collective skill of college laxers continues to improve year after year. It’s hard not to watch these highlights and not salivate over all the awesomeness we won’t get to see:

What a finesse move ???? #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/LianRsAkJ9

— espnW (@espnW) February 11, 2020

????Dun, nuh, nuh, duh, nuh, nuh ????

A quick grab off the save and behind the back finish for Kinna ????#SCtop10 #TakeOff x #GoCats pic.twitter.com/3LQfYtcgPj

— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) March 6, 2020

#NCAAWLAX Plays of the Week ????
2️⃣ | Tayler Warehime gives @uncwlax a 2-0 lead over Davidson with a behind-the-back goal. The Tar Heels went on to beat the Wildcats 22-5 and set a school record with 38 points. ???????? pic.twitter.com/CD4y1LAm1g

— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAALAX) February 18, 2020

DEJA VU❗

Hart scoops it and goes behind the back again!#SeawolvesUnited | #NCAAWLAX | #AEWLAX pic.twitter.com/JcL6eXHvW6

— Stony Brook Women's Lacrosse (@StonyBrookWLAX) February 15, 2020

5. But of course… 

The storylines we’ll miss the most are the ones we can’t even imagine. The season had only just begun. Most teams had only played about 7 or 8 games, and conference play wasn’t even in full swing. Every lax fan knows that anything can happen over the course of a single game, let alone an entire season. And looking back, it’s clearly the moments, the upsets, the tournament runs and broken records that we couldn’t predict that will leave the bitterest (and most elusive) sense of FOMO in every fan’s mind.

The road to the College Cup begins this weekend, as the 2025 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament kicks off with a stacked first-round field on Friday.

The strength of the ACC again leads the charge with three of the 64-team bracket's four top seeds hailing from the conference.

Snagging the overall No. 1 seed is Stanford, with the Cardinal outlasting fellow NCAA top-seed Notre Dame in a penalty shootout to claim their first-ever ACC tournament title last weekend.

Joining the Cardinal and Fighting Irish in the remaining No. 1 spots are the ACC's Virginia Cavaliers and the SEC-leading Vanderbilt Commodores.

Meanwhile, the 2025 tournament's No. 2 seeds — Michigan State, TCU, Duke, and Georgetown — are gearing up to play spoiler, with other underdogs also lurking throughout the bracket.

Already eyeing future upsets are four-time national champions and No. 3-seed Florida State, No. 4-seed and Big Ten champion Washington, and undefeated mid-major dark horse Memphis, who enters the 2025 field as a No. 7 seed.

The ACC's on-pitch dominance also sees defending champion North Carolina in an unfamiliar position, entering the 2025 NCAA tournament unseeded after the 22-time title-winners finished seventh in the conference behind a 12-6 overall and 6-4 ACC season record.

How to watch the 2025 NCAA soccer tournament

The 2025 NCAA women's soccer tournament kicks off with 32 first-round matches across Friday and Saturday, all on ESPN+.

The action begins with unseeded Ohio State taking on No. 8-seed Georgia at 3 PM ET, live on ESPN+.

Two USWNT legends are seeing their legacies cemented, as the National Soccer Hall of Fame announced on Thursday that retired forwards Tobin Heath and Heather O'Reilly are first-ballot inductees as members of the Class of 2026.

Both Heath and O'Reilly retired as World Cup champions and Olympic medalists, winning their 2008 and 2012 Olympic golds as well as their 2015 World Cup title as teammates.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

The USWNT icons led all voting on the Hall of Fame's Player Ballot of 20 finalists, which only allots two to three athletes per annual class for induction.

O'Reilly snagged 47 of the 48-person selection committee's votes, with Heath earning 45 nods for inclusion.

Fellow former USWNT star Sam Mewis finished fifth on the ballot with 32 votes in her first year of eligibility, while longtime NWSL and USWNT player Amy Rodriguez came in seventh with 28 votes.

Longtime Seattle Reign defender Stephanie Cox — a 2008 Olympic gold medalist with the USWNT — also snagged votes, ranking 15th on the Class of 2026 Player Ballot.

Though they fell short of making the cut, a trio of former USWNT stars also earned votes on the 10-finalist Veteran Ballot, with longtime midfielder-turned-broadcaster Aly Wagner as well as legendary '99ers Tiffany Roberts and Lorrie Fair all snagging tallies.

The National Soccer Hall of Fame will induct Heath and O'Reilly as part of its six-person Class of 2026 in a ceremony at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, on May 1st.

Orlando Pride captain and Brazil legend Marta is back in the spotlight, topping the 2025 shortlist for the second-annual FIFA Marta Award — the women's goal-of-the-year prize established in her honor in 2024.

The 39-year-old attacking midfielder took home the inaugural trophy at the Best FIFA Football Awards ceremony last December, earning the title for a stellar long-range shot that helped lift Brazil over Jamaica 4-0 in a June 2024 friendly.

Marta's 2025 nomination, however, comes from an iconic goal in club play, with the FIFA Award spotlighting the Orlando game-winner against Kansas City in the 2024 NWSL semifinals — a goal that saw the Pride star force four Current players to the ground with her footwork.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Marta has steep competition for this year's trophy, however, with 10 other goal nominees including a viral scorpion kick by former Tigres UANL star Lizbeth Ovalle, Seattle Reign defender Jordyn Bugg's long-range missile against the North Carolina Courage, forward Ally Sentnor's first-ever USWNT goal at the 2025 SheBelieves Cup, and more.

How to vote for the 2025 FIFA Marta Award

Holding 50% of the vote, fans can view and rank their top three goals of 2025 until voting closes on December 3rd.

Voting for the second-ever Marta Award winner is now open at FIFA.com.

South Carolina and USC are bringing fireworks to the 2025/26 NCAA basketball court this weekend, as the No. 2 Gamecocks take on the No. 8 Trojans in "The Real SC" showdown on Saturday.

Both standout programs enter the matchup undefeated in early-season play, with the Trojans touting a Top-10 win after narrowly edging out No. 10 NC State 69-68 last weekend.

"You don't know exactly what you have until you're put in these situations, which is why we schedule them," USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said about the upcoming clash. "And I think it's a chance for us to redefine our identity a little bit."

South Carolina's depth will likely test the new-look Trojans, as USC aims to solidify their identity with star JuJu Watkins sidelined with injury for the season.

That said, freshman Jazzy Davidson is giving the Trojans new life, with the No. 1 high school recruit co-leading the team in scoring with 17.5 points per game.

South Carolina, however, has seen early dividends from familiar faces, as sophomore Joyce Edwards leads the Gamecocks in scoring at 18.3 points per game, with high-profile transfer Ta'Niya Latson close behind with a 16.3 point average.

How to watch USC vs. South Carolina in the "The Real SC" NCAA game

No. 8 USC will welcome No. 2 South Carolina to LA's Crypto.com Arena for the inaugural "Real SC" game on Saturday.

The clash will tip off at 9 PM ET, with live coverage airing on FOX.