NCAA Women's Lacrosse Final Four 2026: What to Watch
Boulder County had a team in the mix until the very last seconds. CU Buffs women's lacrosse pushed #1-seeded Northwestern to double overtime in the quarterfinals on May 14 — Maddie Shoup tied it with four seconds left in regulation before Northwestern won 13-12 in double OT. That's as close as it gets. Northwestern went on to win the national title — so the Buffs took the eventual champion to double overtime. Here's how the rest of the NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship played out.
CU's Quarterfinal and the Final Four
CU's loss came in the quarterfinal round on May 14. The four teams that advanced to Championship Weekend in Evanston, Illinois were top-seeded Northwestern, North Carolina, Maryland, and Johns Hopkins. For the full bracket and every quarterfinal score, see the official NCAA bracket.
CU's season goes down as a genuine run. Reaching the quarterfinals against the top seed and taking that game to double overtime is something Boulder County lacrosse fans should remember.
The Semifinals and Final
The semifinals were played Friday, May 22, at Northwestern's Martin Stadium in Evanston. North Carolina rolled past Maryland 16-6, while Northwestern held off Johns Hopkins 16-14 to reach the final.
In the championship game on Sunday, May 24, 2026, Northwestern beat North Carolina 14-11 to win the national title — the Wildcats' first since 2023. It was the same Northwestern team that had ended CU's season in double overtime two weekends earlier, which makes the Buffs' quarterfinal showing look even better in hindsight.
Following Along From Boulder
USA Lacrosse covers the national championship throughout the weekend with news, scoring updates, and game coverage. The NCAA site has live bracket tracking and video once games tip off.
CU's quarterfinal run showed that Front Range lacrosse is competing at the highest level of the college game. If you want the full picture of what CU's 2026 season looked like from start to finish, see our CU Buffs Women's Lacrosse 2026 Season recap.