March 27, 2026 — Friday Statwatch for games played through March 25
Hello, friends, and welcome to a new year of Statwatch, the weekly feature through which we use numbers and statistics in order to bring together the past and present in the game of lacrosse. We notice that there are a couple of sophomores who are doing great things on the attack end. Jenna Mathews, an attacker from Spanish River (Fla.) has already figured in 105 goal involvements in her play thus far.
March 26, 2026 — Over to you, Stanford and Maryland
Why do I get the feeling that the entire story of the NCAA Division I women's lacrosse season is going to be upset like the gameboard of Superfection, that kid's game where the board flips if you don't fill the squares on the board in time? Yesterday, the No. 1 team in all the land, North Carolina, saw its 31-game winning streak snapped by Northwestern.
https://topofthecircle.wordpress.com/2026/03/26/march-26-2026-over-to-you-stanford-and-maryland/
March 25, 2026 — The biggest game in the history of Western civilization … well, at least for this month
This evening at 6 p.m., the latest biggest women's lacrosse game in the history of civilization will take place as Northwestern travels to Anson Dorrance Field to take on North Carolina in a rematch of last year's NCAA Division I women's lacrosse final. These are two quality programs: since 2005, only once did one or the other not make the Final Four.
This evening at 6 p.m., the latest biggest women’s lacrosse game in the history of civilization will take place as Northwestern travels to Anson Dorrance Field to take on North Carolina in a …
March 24, 2026 — Top 10 for the week of March 22
Our first weekly Top 10 sees a number of surprise results, as some of our top teams from last year, such as Coronado (Calif.), Newtown Square Episcopal Academy (Pa.), and Brooklandville St. Paul's School for Girls (Md.) have already taken a loss in the early days of the season. This weekend will see a number of key intersectional games, including a massive game on Long Island.
https://topofthecircle.wordpress.com/2026/03/24/march-24-2026-top-10-for-the-week-of-march-22/
March 23, 2026 — Are sports properties peeking out from behind the paywall?
TELESIDE, U.S.A. -- Last weekend saw an explosion of sports programming which seemingly fit the model of streaming broadcasts: if one game isn't enough, you can take your pick of multiple consecutive games on the same network -- binge-watching, in the parlance. With the emphasis on the word "network," as you didn't have to invest in a streaming service to watch many of these broadcasts.
March 22, 2026 — The loss of another news lifeline
It was the summer of 1980, and my parents (in their infinite wisdom) sent me on an 18-day vacation to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. Looking back on four decades, it was a way for my parents and brother to open up my eyes to the world. During my stay there, I lodged at Holy Trinity Cathedral, where my brother lent his talents as a teacher in the nation's oldest music school.
https://topofthecircle.wordpress.com/2026/03/22/march-22-2026-the-loss-of-another-news-lifeline/
March 21, 2026 — When defending champions say, “Not so fast.”
Last May, the University of North Carolina, The University of Tampa, and Middlebury College walked away with the three national championships on offer by the NCAA. In the last 24 hours, all three teams made some loud statements about their intentions about repeating. In women's lacrosse, especially, we've seen year-over-year dominance by teams like Maryland, The College of New Jersey, Middlebury,…
March 20, 2026 — A runout
Last week, the U.S. women's basketball team participated in a FIBA World Cup qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico. You'll notice that the key verb in the previous paragraph is "participated." That's because the American women, who are looking for a 12th FIBA World Cup, had already qualified for this September's World Cup no matter how well they did in the qualification tournament.
https://topofthecircle.wordpress.com/2026/03/20/march-20-2026-a-runout/
