💥 BATTLE OF THE MONTH

Remember when you had to wait until the spring and summer to enjoy the highest level college and pro lacrosse games? It’s only FEBRUARY, and we have one of the most jam-packed lacrosse weekends on deck.

From the PLL Championship Series to the Unleashed All-Star Game to the very best in NCAA Men’s Division I, there’s more lacrosse on TV this week than ever before. Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for more information on where you can watch dozens of games over the next few days.

In the meantime, let’s dive into some of the biggest storylines heading into the weekend…

💥 ‘Cuse-Maryland in PRIME TIME

As far as college lacrosse games in February go, tomorrow’s Syracuse-Maryland matchup is as big as they get. Both teams are ranked inside the top five in The People’s Top 20, and the opening face-off is slated for 6 p.m. ET at the JMA Wireless Dome (broadcast live on ESPNU).

The atmosphere for this game should be electric.

“Our average attendance…won’t fit in most of the other stadiums in college lacrosse,” Syracuse head coach Gary Gait said during an appearance on ACC Network this week.

Syracuse is off to a 3-0 start, with wins over Vermont, Colgate and Manhattan. They are led by sophomore attackman and reigning TLN Player of the Week Joey Spallina, who paces all of Division I lacrosse with 26 points (10 goals, 16 assists).

While Syracuse’s offense is humming, Maryland presents the biggest test to date. The Terrapins are 2-0 and terrifying on defense. They’re coming off an 11-4 win over Loyola where top defenseman Ajax Zappitello held prolific attackman Evan James to zero points.

When these teams met in College Park last season, Maryland was able to pull out a 15-12 win. The viral highlight from that game, however, was Spallina’s backhand goal against future PLL first-round draft pick Brett Makar.

This Syracuse-Maryland game — and more specifically, the individual matchup of Spallina vs. Zappitello — should produce some sparks on Saturday.

👀 Champ Series Secrets UNVEILED

Let me start by saying, if you read The Lacrosse Newsletter, consider yourself “in the know.” Pretty much everything we outlined in Tuesday’s “Champ Series Secrets” newsletter came to light on Day 1.

The first secret was Ricky Miezan, who appears to have what it takes to hang in PLL Sixes. The former Stanford linebacker and Virginia midfielder scored two goals and also had an assist in his professional debut. His efforts helped the California Redwoods secure an overtime victory over the Boston Cannons.

TLN is working on a behind-the-scenes feature with Miezan at Champ Series, so make sure you’re subscribed to our YouTube channel.

We also told you to watch out for the Utah Archers’ under-the-radar stars: Nate Solomon and Ronan Jacoby. Well, these two ended up producing the two most scintillating highlights of opening weekend, with Solomon jump-faking the Philadelphia Waterdogs defense out of their shoes and Jacoby drilling a nasty behind-the-back goal from distance.

The Archers ultimately fell to Philly, 21-18, but Jacoby’s 5-point performance and overall journey to Champ Series was one of the most compelling storylines from Wednesday’s action.

On top of that, we saw guys like Ethan Rall (Cannons) and Garrett Epple (Redwoods) fit right in with their short sticks. Rall had a nice interception, which he turned into a breakaway goal, and Epple dropped a two-bomb.

We’ve got two more days of Round Robin action before elimination games start on Sunday. Tonight’s matchups are Redwoods-Waterdogs and Cannons-Archers. Click here to see our TLN Staff Picks for those games.

⭐️ Unleashed Has ALL The Stars

One of the most exciting signs of growth at this year’s PLL Championship Series is the addition of a women’s Sixes showcase game. The Unleashed All-Star Game on Saturday will be streamed on ESPN+ at 1 p.m. ET, and the rosters are loaded with the top talent in the world.

Here’s a look at who will be playing:

At first glance, Team North looks like the favorite to win. How can you pick against a team that features both Charlotte North AND Dana Dobbie? They’re two of the most electric scorers the women’s game has ever seen. They also have Lauren Gilbert, who was the MVP of the Unleashed All-Star Game in Japan last year.

That said, Team South may have some underrated synergy. Nine of the 11 players on the roster played at either North Carolina or Maryland. They also have four players — Ally Mastroianni, Lizzie Colson, Marge Donovan and Taylor Moreno — who play together on Team USA.

In an All-Star showcase, experience as teammates can be valuable. It also helps to have perhaps the best women’s goalie on the planet in Moreno.

This event will be monumental for girls with dreams to play Sixes in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

🏆 The Champs Are BACK

They may be a couple weeks behind the rest of the ACC, but the Notre Dame Fighting Irish returned to action on Wednesday. The reigning NCAA Champions kicked off the 2024 season with a 25-3 tune-up win over Cleveland State.

Freshman midfielder Jordan Faison, who walked onto the Notre Dame football team as a wide receiver and ended up winning MVP of the Sun Bowl, started for the Irish and recorded a hat trick in his first college game.

Pat Kavanagh (5A) and Chris Kavanagh (3G, 2A) each had five points in the win, as did third starting attackman Jake Taylor (5G).

Before the game, Notre Dame revealed their 2023 Championship rings on social media. You can check those out by clicking the button below.

📺 Weekend TV & Streaming Info

PLL Championship Series events in bold. NCAA streaming info courtesy of Inside Lacrosse (all times Eastern):

Friday, Feb. 16:
4 p.m. — Bryant at Boston U (ESPN+)
5 p.m. — Drexel at UMBC (AmericaEast.tv)
5:30 p.m. — California vs. Philadelphia (ESPN2)
6 p.m. — VMI at High Point (ESPN+)
7:30 p.m. — Boston vs. Utah (ESPN+)

Saturday, Feb. 17:
11 a.m. — NJIT at Mount St. Mary’s (MountAthletics.com)
12 p.m. — Canisius at Bellarmine (Streaming Info Not Available)
12 p.m. — St. Bonaventure at Binghamton (AmericaEast.tv)
12 p.m. — Brown at Quinnipiac (GoBobcats.com)
12 p.m. — Dartmouth at Bucknell (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — Saint Joseph’s at Duke (ACCNX)
12 p.m. — North Carolina at Fairfield (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — Georgetown at Penn (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — Hampton at Lafayette (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — Siena at Hofstra (FloSports)
12 p.m. — Sacred Heart at Holy Cross (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — Vermont at Manhattan (GoJaspers.com)
12 p.m. — Princeton at Monmouth (FloSports)
12 p.m. — Navy at Towson (FloSports)
12 p.m. — Penn State at Stony Brook (LacrosseTV)
12 p.m. — Le Moyne at Wagner (WagnerAthletics.com)
1 p.m. — Unleashed All-Star Game (ESPN+)
1 p.m. — Ohio State at Air Force (ESPN+)
1 p.m. — Army at Rutgers (B1G+)
1 p.m. — Colgate at UAlbany (ESPN+)
1 p.m. — Delaware at St. John’s (ESPN+)
1 p.m. — Hobart at Michigan (Streaming Info Not Available)
1 p.m. — Jacksonville at Marist (ESPN+)
1 p.m. — Loyola at Johns Hopkins (ESPN+)
1 p.m. — Virginia at Richmond (ESPN+)
2 p.m. — Merrimack at LIU (ESPN+)
3 p.m. — Denver at Utah (Pac-12.com)
3 p.m. — UMass Lowell at UMass (ESPN+)
3:30 p.m. — Lehigh at Cornell (ESPN+)
3:30 p.m. — Providence at Harvard (ESPN+)
3:30 p.m. — Villanova at Yale (ESPN+)
5 p.m. — Utah vs. California (ESPN+)
6 p.m. — Maryland at Syracuse (ESPNU)
7 p.m. — Boston vs. Philadelphia (ESPN+)

Sunday, Feb. 18:
1 p.m. — PLL Championship Series Semifinals Game 1 (ESPN+)
1 p.m. — High Point at Queens (ESPN+)
2 p.m. — Notre Dame at Marquette (YouTube)
3 p.m. — PLL Championship Series Semifinals Game 2 (ESPN+)

Monday, Feb. 19:
11:30 a.m. — PLL Championship Series Final (ESPN2)