The Boston College Eagles women's lacrosse team is heading back to the NCAA Tournament, but this year's journey looks a little different—and perhaps even more exciting.
On Friday afternoon, the Eagles will face the Yale Bulldogs in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. For the first time since 2017, BC enters the tournament unseeded, meaning they didn't earn a top-8 seed. That might sound like a setback, but here's the thing: the last time they were in this position, they went on a Cinderella run all the way to the program's first-ever Final Four, eventually falling to Maryland in the national title game.
This year's path has been anything but smooth. BC finished the regular season with a 9-7 record—their worst winning percentage since 2016. The Eagles stumbled out of the gate with a three-game losing streak, dropping games to #1 Northwestern, #30 Notre Dame, and #9 Michigan. ACC play brought more challenges, with losses to #2 North Carolina, #22 Virginia, and #31 Duke, knocking BC out of their usual top-10 ranking.
But don't count them out just yet. The Eagles showed flashes of brilliance, posting regular-season wins over #6 Syracuse and #11 Stanford. They've proven they can scrap for victories, even if they haven't looked like the dominant powerhouse of years past.
Here's what makes this tournament run so intriguing: when the stakes are highest, Boston College tends to rise to the occasion. The Eagles have made eight straight Final Four appearances, winning two national championships along the way. And this year, their bracket path is surprisingly favorable for an unseeded team.
BC lands in the #4/#5 quadrant of the bracket, meaning they won't have to battle through perennial powerhouses like Northwestern, North Carolina, or Maryland to reach the Final Four in Chicago. Their road starts with Yale, then could feature matchups against #5 Stony Brook and #4 Johns Hopkins. Notably, both Stony Brook and Yale are teams BC defeated during their 2024 run to the Final Four at Gillette Stadium.
The opening game against Yale could be a defensive battle. BC grinded out a 7-4 win over Syracuse earlier this season, and Yale's stingy defense will pose a similar challenge. But if history has taught us anything, it's that tournament time is when the Eagles' championship pedigree shines brightest.
Can BC push through to a ninth straight Final Four? The stage is set for another memorable run.