The 2019 NCAA Division I women's lacrosse championship pits Maryland against Boston College on Sunday, March 26 in Baltimore, Maryland. The tournament champion will be crowned after a Sunday battle between two teams that have had their sights on the title all season.
Game time, TV channel, watch online for Maryland vs. Boston College
Game time: 12 p.m. ET
TV channel: ESPNU
Watch online: WatchESPN
The game will take place at Homewood Field on the campus of Johns Hopkins.
2019 NCAA SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT: Bracket, scores, updates
5 reasons Maryland vs. BC should make for a great NCAA women's lacrosse championship
1. This is a matchup of two of the most high-octane offenses in the country
Boston College scores the fourth-most goals per game in the country at 17.13, while Maryland trails just behind at No. 5 with 16.41 goals per game. Each team's recent results give us a sense that neither is about to relent.
- BC's per-game scoring in the NCAA tournament: 21 goals vs. Colorado, 17 vs. Princeton and 15 vs. North Carolina
- Maryland's per-game scoring in the NCAA tournament: 17 vs. Stony Brook, 17 vs. Denver and 21 vs. Northwestern
There's not much separation between these offenses anywhere you look. They are both in the top 10 in shots and shots on goal, Neither team turns the ball over much (Maryland ranks second in giveaways, BC 13th) either.
2. Defense is where Maryland has the edge. It might not matter.
On the other side of the ball, Maryland has a clear track record of outperforming BC. The Terps are fourth in the country with eight goals allowed per game, while the Eagles sit at 21st with 10 goals allowed per game.
BC's defense is still good. It's just not elite. It's tough to tell whether that will end up making a difference in this title game. If both offenses are humming, it's not clear whether any kind of defense will be able to stop them.
HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?! 🤯#NCAAWLAX #SCtop10 | @MarylandWLax pic.twitter.com/uT55zsysVy
— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAALAX) May 25, 2019
3. Sam Apuzzo vs. Megan Taylor is a matchup befitting a national championship game
BC's Sam Apuzzo, last year's Tewaraaton winner, is the nation's leading goal-scorer with 91.
LEGENDARY.#NCAAWLAX #SCtop10 | @BCwlax pic.twitter.com/w2YJGnghDr
— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAALAX) May 25, 2019
Maryland's Megan Taylor has the second-best save percentage in the nation.
"We closed" 🙅♀️
— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAALAX) May 25, 2019
- Megan Taylor (probably)#NCAAWLAX | @MarylandWLax pic.twitter.com/Ui0gUx7yS9
Both are nominated for the Tewaraaton award. It won't just be a one-on-one matchup, obviously — any goalie's success is partly dependent on their defense — but Apuzzo is guaranteed to have at least a few shots on goal.
4. We could see a first-time champ
The Terps are the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the seventh straight year. They've won three of the previous five national championships under coach Cathy Reese. Boston College, meanwhile, is looking to break through. The Eagles have come so close, losing 16-15 in the national championship game to James Madison in 2018 and losing 16-13 to Maryland in 2017.
5. One team will end the season with only one loss tainting its record. The other will finish with just two.
BC and Maryland each lost once this season. In a remarkable coincidence, each program lost in its conference championship game before beating that same team in the NCAA tournament semifinals to earn its spot in the championship game.
Boston College suffered its lone loss in the ACC championship game to North Carolina, 15-13. The Eagles were able to avenge that loss on Friday with Apuzzo's OT goal. Maryland, meanwhile, fell to Northwestern in the Big Ten championship, 16-11. The Terps knocked the Wildcats out with a 25-13 scoring barrage in the NCAA semifinals, ending the game on a 9-0 run to clinch yet another championship game appearance.
