Previewing the First Week of the 2026 College Lacrosse Season

The chase to play on Championship Weekend begins this weekend as another college lacrosse season has arrived.

Lets look at some of the top matchups this week to kick off the season!

The Cornell Big Red

Before looking at some of the games this weekend, it would be wrong of me to not take a look at the reigning National Champions, the Cornell Big Red going into the year.

The defending National Champions the Cornell Big Red are coming into this season looking to show everyone that they are still the top dogs. They are coming into this season as the number four ranked team in the country. Coming back with head coach and former three-time All American at Cornell Connor Buczek, the Big Red are not looking to be one hit wonders in the college lacrosse world. Losing Tewaaraton winner C.J. Kirst is definitely a big hit to the offense, but two members from Cornells offensive unit have been named as USA Lacrosse Preseason All Americans. Junior attackman Ryan Goldstein, who netted 43 goals along with 50 assists last season got a first-team selection, and fellow junior attackman Willem Firth got a third team selection having 32 goals and 17 assists last season.

The Big Red open their season on February, 14th against the Albany Great Danes and are looking to start their tough schedule off with a win on the road.

Maryland Terrapins vs Richmond Spiders

The Maryland Terrapins

A staple in the college lacrosse world, the Maryland Terrapins come into this season as the top ranked team in the nation. Coming off a runner up finish last season the Terps and head coach John Tillman are looking to once again make it back to Memorial Day for his twelfth Championship Weekend.

Graduate attackman Eric Spanos will be wearing the prestigious number 1 this season for the Terps. Spanos will be leading the Terps offense with 2 new transfers coming in to fill out the rest of the offense. Maryland bringing in teammates from Yale, Leo Johnson and Chris Lyons is going to pair greatly with Spanos and the returning cast at midfield and defense. Senior defender Will Schaller is coming back after earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year last year and is going to be the focal point of success for Maryland defensively.

Experience and talent is what really is going to be key for Maryland to win this early top 10 test.

The Richmond Spiders

The number nine ranked Richmond Spiders are coming into the year looking for more after finally getting past the first round of the NCAA tournament last year. Head coach Dan Chemotti is looking to build off of last year but still have his eyes set on the future.

Richmond has four Preseason All-Americans for the 2026 campaign: short stick defender Jack Pilling and defensemen Hunter Smith both received Second Team Honors. Attackman Aidan O'Neil and midfielder Joe Sheridan received honorable mentions, but the Spiders are looking to have their leadership be a key role in this years team.

A problem for the Spiders last year that they are looking to not run into this year is how long it took for their offense to get into form. It took the star players like Aidan O'Neil and Joe Sheridan longer than expected to kick it into gear last year. But with much of the offense returning, the Spiders are looking to use their line chemistries and get it going early against a tough Maryland defense.

To be successful in this early test they need their offense to be clicking and working in unison as well as maintaining Eric Spanos on defense.

North Carolina Tar Heels vs Towson Tigers

The UNC Tar Heels 

Another top match up this weekend is the number 6 ranked Tar Heels vs the number 16 ranked Tigers.

The Tar Heels have some of the biggest names in the country coming back this season and could be an early sleeper team to look at to make a run deep into the NCAA tournament.

Seasoned head coach Dave Pietramala has his stacked offense set with junior attackman Owen Duffy and his own son, redshirt junior Dominic Pietramala being one of the top dangerous offensive duos in the country. And when you pair them with one of the top face off guys in the country in Brady Wambach, the Tar Heels are going to be a high flying offense who are going to be able to score with anyone.

What also is going to be dangerous for opponents to deal with is the midfield unit of UNC as well as their depth. The Tar Heels are going to be rolling out midfield lines that rival any one else in the country. James Matan who is the Tar Heels senior captain has been moved from attack to midfield. Just adding more firepower to their offense and gives them the ability to give many different looks 6v6 as well as being man up. But you also cannot forget about the defensive side with Preseason All-ACC nomination Peter Thomann coming into his redshirt sophomore season due to injury and looking to make a huge impact with a year off.

The key to success in this game is for North Carolina to just pour on the offense against Towson and let the defense make the plays when need be.

The Towson Tigers

The top team in the Coastal Athletic Association is looking to prove that they belong with the big kids in the top conferences. Having 2 players receiving Preseason All-CAA nominations, that being Mikey Weisshaar, and senior defenseman Elijah Smith. If that wasn't enough, Mikey Weisshaar was one of three CAA players to receive a Preseason All-American nod.

The Towson Tigers had a rough start to the season last year starting out 1-5 in their first 6 games. But quickly got things turned around and finished off the year with an 11-6 record, and winning the CAA as well as even making it to the NCAA tournament.

The Tigers are going to really have to rely on their playmakers this year to really be viewed at as a legit threat going into the tournament. But if the Tigers can three-peat as CAA champions and get a bid into the tournament, it could be another great building block for this teams future.

For the Towson Tigers this weekend they are going to have to rely on Elijah Smith and the defense to be able to maintain the Tar Heels high powered offense. To try and make it a scrappy game and to keep it close is something that would be really beneficial for them.

The season is finally here and that always means the weather is going to be turning soon as well. It is going to be a great season this year and it is going to be a rollercoaster of a season with everyone having one goal in mind... to be playing on Memorial Day Monday.