The NCAA lacrosse Final Four is set, with No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Maryland, No. 3 Boston College and No. 4 Northwestern advancing to the national semifinals.

The latter three teams all cruised past their quarterfinal matchups, as Maryland thumped No. 7 Florida 18-5, Boston College bested No. 6 Loyola Maryland 20-13 and Northwestern thrashed No. 5 Syracuse 15-4.

Undefeated North Carolina, though, needed to come from behind to defeat No. 8 Stony Brook 8-5.

The Tar Heels (20-0) trailed the Seawolves 4-3 at halftime. Early in the second half, attacker Sam Geiersbach whipped the ball into the cage to tie the game, but Stony Brook answered to retake the lead 5-4.

In the final three minutes of the third quarter, though, North Carolina’s Andie Aldave and Caitlyn Wurzburger each scored to put their team on top, and the Tar Heels held on for the win.

“Our offense, it wasn’t the performance they wanted, but they gutted it out,” North Carolina coach Jenny Levy said. “Sometimes you don’t have to win pretty, you just need to advance.”

The national semifinals kick off on May 27 on ESPNU, with No. 2 Maryland taking on No. 3 Boston College and No. 1 North Carolina facing off against No. 4 Northwestern.

Boston College punched its ticket to the NCAA lacrosse quarterfinals Sunday with a little help from Charlotte North.

The Eagles took down Denver 13-8 to move on to the next round. North started off the scoring just two minutes into the game, and the goal marked the 342nd of her career, making her the NCAA’s all-time leader in goals.

With the goal, she passed previous leader Courtney Murphy, who scored 341 goals while playing for Stony Brook from 2014-2018.

Shortly after the record-breaking tally, North notched her second goal of the game to put her team up 2-0.

The Eagles and Pioneers stayed competitive through the first half, with Boston College taking an 8-5 lead into halftime.

While the Eagles committed 22 turnovers, big defensive efforts in the second half helped them fend off the Denver offense and secure the win. Goalie Rachel Hall made eight saves to maintain the team’s advantage.

In addition to North’s four goals, Caitlynn Mossman added three of her own for the hat trick to help Boston College advance to the Elite Eight.

No. 3 seed Boston College next will face No. 6 seed Loyola Maryland at 2:30 p.m. ET Thursday for a spot in the Final Four.

The NCAA lacrosse tournament kicks off Friday as the nation’s top teams look to win the title.

No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Maryland and No. 3 Boston College all received first-round byes and await their opponents in the second round. While Boston College will be looking to repeat, UNC is looking to finish what it started last year. Meanwhile Maryland is aiming to add to its long list of titles.

The team to watch: North Carolina

Can the Tar Heels (18-0) accomplish what they couldn’t last year?

In 2021, North Carolina finished the regular season undefeated and made it all the way to the NCAA semifinal before it was upended by eventual champion Boston College. The Tar Heels ended the season 20-1.

Never before has UNC finished a season undefeated, not even in its two NCAA championship seasons (2013, 2016).

With a roster of five graduate students and six seniors, all of whom have made it to the Final Four twice, the Tar Heels are aiming to make history this season. And their players, who all joined the program after the 2016 title, are looking for a championship.

“It’s not a great feeling, I think it always stays with me, and after each year it kind of gets worse,” UNC attacker Jamie Ortega said. “I think it’s always fueling me and my teammates and my coaches. There’s never a day that goes by where we don’t think about it; you think about losing and coming up short.”

Of the Tar Heels’ 18 wins this season, 12 have come against ranked opponents. They have gone 6-0 against top-10 teams and 4-0 against top-five teams.

Players to watch: Stanford’s Ashley Humphrey, Maryland’s Aurora Cordingley, Boston College’s Charlotte North

While UNC’s Ortega and Syracuse’s Meaghan Tyrrell are certainly ones to watch this tournament, other names could shake things up.

Stanford’s Ashley Humphrey scored the second-most points in the NCAA this season with 120. To reach that 120-point milestone, she scored 36 goals and added 84 assists through 18 games. The sophomore attacker helped to propel her team to the Pac-12 regular season and tournament titles.

Graduate attacker Aurora Cordingley has been a major piece of a strong Maryland team. With 15 NCAA titles, the Terrapins have the most of any women’s lacrosse team. After joining Maryland from Johns Hopkins – where she managed 57 points her senior year – Cordingley helped lead Maryland back to the Big Ten title and was named Big Ten attacker of the year in the process. She has 111 points on the season, nearly doubling her career-best points total from her time at Johns Hopkins.

Charlotte North has been a staple of the Boston College offense for the past three years after transferring from Duke. The defending Tewaaraton Award winner hasn’t let off the gas this season, contributing 94 points to an Eagles team that is looking to repeat as champion after winning its first title last year. With 75 goals, she leads all players in this year’s tournament.

How to watch:

All of the early round games will air on ESPN+. The semifinals will air on Friday, May 27, on ESPNU at 3 and 5 p.m. ET. The championship game will air live on ESPN on Sunday, May 29, at 12 p.m. ET.

The Delaware State lacrosse team still is reeling over a police encounter in Georgia that a player said resulted from “underlying racism.”

First detailed by sophomore player Sydney Anderson in a school publication, The Hornet Newspaper, the team was traveling back to Delaware from a three-game road swing. The team played its season finale at Stetson University on April 19 and began its trip home the next day.

The Hornets were traveling north on I-95 in Liberty County, Georgia, southwest of Savannah, when they were pulled over by police for driving in the wrong left lane.

But two officers from the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office soon turned into six and a drug-sniffing dog. They started removing the team’s belongings from the bus compartment to be searched.

One of the officers was captured on tape by Saniya Craft telling the team that they were going to check their belongings for narcotics.

“I’m coming on the bus right now to tell y’all we’re gonna let [inaudible] check y’all’s luggage, OK. If there is anything in y’all’s luggage, we’re probably gonna find it,” the officer said in the video. “OK, I’m not looking for a little bit of marijuana, but I’m pretty sure you guys’ chaperone is probably gonna be disappointed in you if we find any.

“You guys are on the lacrosse team, correct? So if there is something in there that’s questionable, please tell me now. Because if we find it, guess what: We’re not gonna be able to help you.”

No drugs were found in the search.

“The infuriating thing was the assumption of guilt on their [deputies’] behalf,” head coach Pamella Jenkins told Delaware Online.

The bus was stopped for 30 to 45 minutes, according to Jenkins.

“One of my student-athletes asked them, ‘How did we go from a routine traffic stop to narcotics-sniffing dogs going through our belongings?’” Jenkins said. “The police officer said that on this stretch of highway there are a lot of buses that are smuggling people and narcotics and they have to be diligent.”

One player, Aniya Aiken, was called forward to identify a wrapped graduation gift she received from her aunt during the team’s first game of the road trip. After being told the gift was “suspicious,” she gave officers permission to open it. The package contained a jewelry box.

“The fact of the matter is the underlying racism the Delaware women’s lacrosse team endured,” Anderson wrote in her story on the traffic stop. “The officers tried to get them to admit to having drugs, while there was none in their possession. The officers conducted an unlawful search because there was no probable cause. Majority of the team members had never experienced an encounter with the police, making this a traumatic incident for them.”

Most of those on the bus were Black, although there are some white players on the team who were present.

“One of the Caucasian members of the team asked why this was happening,” Jenkins told Andscape. “And I told her, ‘Unfortunately, as Black people, this is what happens to us.’”

In a statement on Monday, Delaware State University president Tony Allen said he was investigating the incident alongside the university’s general counsel and athletic director.

“To be clear,” Allen wrote, “nothing illegal was discovered in this search, and all of our coaches and student-athletes comported themselves with dignity throughout a trying and humiliating process.”

Delaware Gov. John Carney released a statement Monday calling the video of the traffic stop “upsetting, concerning and disappointing.”

The Liberty County Sheriff’s Office said an investigation into the incident was “ongoing,” Andscape reported. “There was no issue with [this] until today,” the employee who answered Sheriff William Bowman’s phone said.

Sophomore midfielder Mica Lambert told Andscape she wasn’t surprised the incident happened the way that it did, but she was proud of her teammates for their response.

“Say this was Duke and they came on and saw Coach K, do you think they would have been checking our bags with dogs?” Lambert said. “We’re a bus full of girls of color. A Black bus driver. I’m not surprised it went down this way at all. Frustrated, yes, but not surprised.

“You’re upset but you can’t get belligerent, you can’t cuss at the cops, you can’t do a whole lot of stuff. We kept it calm, we didn’t take to social media to blast them. We showed awareness. And I’m proud of my team for that.”

The NCAA unveiled the bracket for the women’s lacrosse tournament Sunday night, with 29 teams selected to compete for a national title.

North Carolina took the No. 1 overall seed following its sixth straight ACC tournament title. The Tar Heels took the top spot for the second straight year after they finished the regular season 18-0.

Big Ten conference champion Maryland (17-1) earned the No. 2 seed, while defending national champions Boston College (16-3) sits at No. 3. Northwestern (13-4) rounds out the top four.

First-round games begin May 13, with eight sites hosting first- and second-round competition from Friday through Sunday. From there, four quarterfinal games will take place on May 19. The preliminary rounds will take place on college campuses and air live on ESPN+.

The semifinals will take place on Friday, May 27, at 3 and 5 p.m. ET on ESPNU, while the national championship will air live on ESPN on Sunday, May 29, at 12 p.m. ET. All of the games will take place at Johns Hopkins’ Homewood Field in Baltimore, Maryland.

A total of 15 teams earned automatic qualification through winning their conference, while 14 teams received at-large bids.

The NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse championship game will air on ESPN for the first time, the network announced Wednesday.

The tournament’s quarterfinals and semifinals will be broadcast on ESPNU, while the flagship will carry the title game on May 29. All 28 of the competition’s games will air on an ESPN platform.

“The opportunity to televise every game of the NCAA women’s lacrosse championship on an ESPN platform for the first time, including the quarterfinals on ESPNU and moving the national title game to ESPN speaks to our commitment of increased exposure and growth of the sport,” said Dan Margulis, ESPN senior director for programming and acquisitions. “We are excited to showcase women’s lacrosse on some of our largest platforms throughout the tournament.”

The DI women’s lacrosse tournament kicks off on May 13, with first-round games airing on ESPN+. Championship weekend is slated for May 27 and May 29 at Johns Hopkins’ Homewood Field in Baltimore, Md., with the semifinals airing on ESPNU at 3 and 5 p.m. ET Friday and the title game broadcast at noon Sunday on ESPN.

ESPNU will unveil the tournament’s 29-team bracket during the NCAA Lacrosse Selection Show on Sunday, May 8, at 9 p.m. ET.

Athletes Unlimited is coming to ESPN, with the league announcing a two-year broadcast deal with the network Wednesday.

ESPN will air 160 softball and lacrosse games across the network’s platforms, starting with the 2022 seasons. At least 90 AU events air across ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN+ as part of the agreement.

“We are proud to collaborate with ESPN to solidify Athletes Unlimited Softball and Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse as two of the major pro sports leagues in the U.S. This deal establishes our presence as a major force in the pro sports landscape in the U.S., while serving as yet another reminder of ESPN’s commitment to women’s sports,” said Jon Patricof, CEO and co-founder of Athletes Unlimited.

In addition to match coverage, ESPN and AU will join forces to produce the four-part project Going Pro: Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse, set to air on ESPN+. The series will follow lacrosse players in their rookie season as they transition to professional competition.

The third season of Athletes Unlimited Softball will kick off on July 29, with 60 players returning to Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois, for five weeks of competition. AU Softball also has expanded to incorporate a new two-week tournament, AUX Softball, scheduled for June 13-25, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Title IX on June 23. The event will feature 42 athletes competing in 18 games in San Diego, with ESPN airing the competition.

ESPN will carry the Athletes Unlimited Softball Draft on May 4 during the espnW Summit in New York.

Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse also will return this summer, with dates and a location yet to be announced.

Top-ranked Boston College got their lacrosse title defense off to a hot start on Sunday, taking down No. 4 Northwestern 18-9.

It’s the Eagles’ 34th straight home win dating back to 2017.

Boston College outshot Northwestern 41-27, with Wildcat goalkeeper Madison Doucette recording a career-high 12 saves.

Caitlynn Mossman scored the first two goals of the game to make it 2-0. Seven different players scored for the Eagles as they jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first quarter. The teams traded possessions, with Northwestern getting a couple back to make it 8-4.

Charlotte North got her Tewaaraton campaign off to a flying start, scoring seven goals and notching one assist in the win.

Belle Smith and Mossman each notched three goals while Annie Walsh added two.

Jill Girardi notched four goals for the Wildcats, a career-best, as Samantha Smith added two more.

Northwestern will look to rebound against Marquette on Monday, while the Eagles will take on No. 21 Massachusetts on Wednesday.

ESPN announced Friday that throughout the 2022 lacrosse season, they will be airing 450 games from 10 different conferences. The games will air across ESPN, ACC Network, ESPN3, ESPN+ and ACCNX.

Included amongst the coverage is 10 matchups amongst preseason top-5 teams.

No. 2 North Carolina will host No. 4 Northwestern on Sunday, March 6. That game will air at 12 ET on ESPNU. The Tar Heels will then visit reigning NCAA Champion and preseason No. 1 Boston College on Sunday, March 20 with the game airing at 2 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

ACC Network will air the season-opener, with No. 23 Michigan going up against No. 5 Notre Dame on Sunday, Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. ET.

Play-by-play commentators will include Jay Atler, Drew Carter, Mike Monaco and Leah Secondo. The analysts are Sheehan Stanwick-Burch, Dana Boyle and Rachel DeCecco.

Coverage of the championship will begin with the selection show on Sunday, May 8 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU. Championship weekend will be broadcast on ESPNU from May 27-29 with complete details to be announced at a later date.

Athletes Unlimited has entered into a multi-year partnership with Sportradar Integrity Services to bring sports betting to its women’s sports leagues, it announced Thursday.

“We are thrilled to partner with global industry leader Sportradar as we continue to expand our betting platform for our fans. We are committed to building a legitimate and safe experience that will help us generate increased interest in our sports leagues while preserving the integrity of our play,” said Nicole Pawlak, AU’s senior director of special projects.

Through the partnership, Sportradar will help protect AU from match-fixing and betting-related corruption by providing bet monitoring and reporting via its Universal Fraud Detection system. Additionally, players and AU employees will undergo education and prevention services, including access to a series of webinars on topics like match-fixing, social media integrity and the league’s anti-harassment policy. They’ll also conduct an integrity audit to help strengthen AU’s policies.

The partnership expands on Sportradar’s roster of women’s sports events, which includes basketball, soccer, tennis and golf. They also have a number of partnerships in the collegiate sports landscape.

“By choosing Sportradar as its integrity partner, Athletes Unlimited is taking a critical and proactive step in safeguarding its brand and business, as its competitions continue to grow and attract more interest from fans,” said Jill Exley, Sportradar’s integrity partnerships director. “We look forward to supporting them with our industry-leading integrity products and services and being a part of their exciting journey as they revolutionize how women’s professional sports are organized and experienced by fans.”

AU joins a plethora of other women’s leagues and teams who have implemented sports betting since its legalization. In August, the WNBA Players Association announced a partnership with Gaming Society, with the hope of advancing women’s sports through betting and gamification.

In July, the Phoenix Mercury became the first women’s sports entity to ink a sports betting deal, announcing a multi-year partnership with Bally Corporation.

Athletes Unlimited is currently in Week 2 of its basketball season, with the second day of games tipping off on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.