Women’s Lacrosse Game of the Week: Boston College vs Northwestern

The women’s lacrosse national championship semifinal will be rerun this Friday in Boston College’s Fish Field House, with both teams looking to start their 2026 season off with a bang.

The teams played twice last season, once in the regular season and once in the playoffs, splitting their victories. Northwestern got perhaps the more consequential win, though, in the semifinals of the national championship, winning 12-11 over the Eagles.

Northwestern advanced to the national championship final against North Carolina, where they lost 12-8 against a loaded Tarheel roster.

This led to the Wildcats being ranked No. 2 at the end of 2025 and the Eagles being ranked No. 3. Both teams fell behind No. 1 North Carolina, which Northwestern and Boston College both lost to twice in 2025.

The two teams return as Tewaaraton finalists, the award for the best player in college lacrosse each season in both the men’s and women’s divisions. North Carolina freshman Chloe Humphrey took home the award last year, becoming the first freshman to do so.

Shea Dolce of Boston College was the only goalkeeper to be nominated for the award last year. She posted a .550 save average in 2025, ranking first amongst all collegiate goalies against one of the toughest schedules in all the NCAA.

On the other side of the crease, Northwestern returns its two-time Tewaaraton finalist in attacker Madison Taylor. Taylor finished her 2025 season with 109 goals and the highest goals per game in the NCAA with 4.95.

Boston College bolsters its defense with two players in the Team USA player pool: defender Shea Baker and defender Lydia Colsante.

The Eagles have a consistently solid defensive unit, which should match up well against the high-powered offense that the Wildcats find a way to bring back each year.

Boston College freshman midfielder Caroline Chisholm was ranked No. 2 at her position in the 2025 graduating class. However, with an already loaded midfield position group, Chisholm may have to wait her turn to make an impact for the Eagles.

McKenzie Brown will join the Northwestern defense this year as the No. 9 recruit of her class and hopes to support the Wildcats defensive unit. Kyle Finnell will also likely make an immediate impact as one of the most talented attackers out of the 2025 class.

This game is expected to come down to the Boston College defense and the Northwestern offense in their first games of the year.

However, it is impossible to know which players have developed the most in the offseason or which freshmen have made strides since they graduated from high school.

The last time these teams faced off in the playoffs, it took a six-goal comeback in the fourth quarter for Northwestern to get the better of Boston College.

The Wildcats are still riding that high, but Shea Dolce surely remembers each ball from that comeback that flew past her. Expect Dolce to be a deciding factor in this game.

There will be no shortage of talent on display this upcoming Friday in the first big matchup of the 2026 women’s lacrosse season. Potential future Tewaaraton winners and national champions will hit the turf in the hopes of an undefeated season.

The game will be streamed on Feb. 6 at 5:00 pm EST on ESPN ACCNX.

Gwen Evans is a second-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email gme5218@psu.edu.