Vol. 11: National Seeds Go Chalk in Opening Rounds of NCAA Tournament
There were a handful of first-round surprises, but the Sweet Sixteen consisted of national seed blowouts, with the exception of a classic between Duke and Maryland.
Seventh-seeded Duke celebrates after its thrilling 13-12 win over Maryland on May 16, advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2015. Photo courtesy: Duke Athletics.
Not everyone thought Duke deserved a national seed. After all, during the regular season, the seventh-seeded and No. 8 Blue Devils had beaten only two teams in the NCAA Tournament field. And they had a lower RPI than the likes of Loyola, Stanford, UMass, Denver, and James Madison, all of which were unseeded entering the tourney.
But Duke head coach Kerstin Kimel’s team has proved the selection committee right.
The Blue Devils are on their way to their first Elite Eight appearance since 2015. Duke ended a three-season NCAA Tournament drought this year and has made the most of its return with a resounding victory over Mount St. Mary’s as well as a nail-biting win against No. 9 Maryland. The Terrapins used a 5-0 run in the second half to pull within one score of Duke. Then Libby May, who scored a team-high four goals for Maryland, whipped a shot to the top-right corner of the cage in the final second of play.
Blue Devils goalkeeper Sophia LeRose was there to make the save, her 11th of the day.
And Duke booked its ticket to the quarterfinals.
It marked the end of Maryland’s unfathomable streak of 11 consecutive Final Four appearances. Now, only one Big Ten team remains in the tournament: second-seeded Northwestern. Meanwhile, five ACC programs are still alive.
In fact, an all-ACC Final Four is still possible. Here’s what the bracket looks like.
First-Round Storylines:
No. 19 Rutgers recorded its first-ever NCAA Tournament win against No. 12 Drexel: The Scarlet Knights held a 19-12 advantage on the draw and outscored a Dragons offense that clocked out eighth nationally in goals per game, 10-6, in the back half of regulation. Senior captains Hannah Hollingsworth and Taralyn Naslonski fueled Rutgers’ attack, each scoring four times. The victory was just another milestone for a historic Scarlet Knights season, the program’s first to culminate in a NCAA Tournament appearance since 1999. Simultaneously, it closed out a monumental year for Drexel, which earned its first NCAA Tournament bid all-time this spring.
Taralyn Naslonski drives to net amid Rutgers’ 16-13 win over Drexel in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on May 14. Photo courtesy: Adam Rubin / Stony Brook Athletics.
Temple held off a UMass comeback for its first NCAA Tournament win in 23 years. The Owls stormed out to a 9-3 lead. It all started with sophomore midfielder Belle Mastropietro, who logged five goals, including (eventually) the game-winner. Mastropietro clinched a hat trick with more than 10 minutes left in the first half, jumpstarting a 5-0 Temple run to end the opening frame. In the second period, however, the No. 18 Minutewomen orchestrated a 5-0 spurt of their own to cut their deficit to one. That’s when the Owls’ defense, which caused nine turnovers on the day, clamped down. UMass scored just once in the final 11 minutes, and it was after Mastropietro gave Temple a two-goal cushion, allowing the Owls to prevail, 14-13.
No. 6 Notre Dame registered the first shutout win in NCAA Tournament history. Robert Morris’ NCAA Tournament debut couldn’t have gone worse. The Colonials came in with the 14th-ranked scoring offense in the nation (15.62 goals per game). Except, in their opening-round matchup against Notre Dame, they didn’t score. Not once. That had never happened before in an NCAA Tournament game. The Irish outshot RMU, 34-11, and caused eight turnovers in the first half alone. Hannah Dorney was responsible for two of them. Kasey Choma (3 goals, 1 assist) and Savannah Buchanan (4 assists) led the way for Notre Dame, tallying four points apiece.
Hofstra’s Alyssa Parrella put on a show, but No. 10 Loyola escaped with the win. With Parrella—now a four-time IWLCA All-Region honoree—the Pride always stood a chance. The same was true during Hofstra’s first-round loss to Patriot League champion Loyola. Parrella, who moved into 10th place all-time in women’s lacrosse scoring history, notched a hat trick and five total points, helping the Pride stitch together a 4-0 run in the second half to tie the game at 9-9 with 5:30 to go. That’s as far as she’d take Hofstra, though. Senior middie Elli Kluegel scored the game-winner for Loyola with 1:40 left, and the Greyhounds held on for a 11-9 win. Livy Rosenzweig (1 goal, 4 assists) became the Patriot League’s all-time assist leader in the victory.
No. 14 Denver never trailed in a win over previously undefeated and No. 13 Stanford. The Pioneers’ program record for goals in an NCAA Tournament game is five. Both Bea Behrins and Eliza Radochonski tied that mark in Denver’s opening-round victory over Pac-12 champion Stanford. It was a prolific offensive performance from the Pioneers, who were up against the third-best draw team in the country (Stanford won 18-of-30 bouts in the circle). The difference was Denver’s 4-1 run to end the first half. From there, the Pioneers’ defense did enough to preserve the lead. Sammie Morton caused three turnovers and piled up a game-high five ground balls. And Stanford’s Tewaaraton Top 25 nominee, Ali Baiocco, was limited to just two points.
Denver players swarm goalie Amelia Cole after the team’s 15-13 win against Stanford in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on May 14. Photo courtesy: Denver Athletics.
The Sweet Sixteen Was … Well, Lopsided:
No. 5 Stony Brook squashed No. 19 Rutgers, 20-8: Taryn Ohlmiller. Wow. The graduate attacker became the third player in NCAA Tournament history to log 12 or more points in a game. It was an encore performance for Ohlmiller, who had seven points in the Seawolves’ opening-round win over Towson. She mounted four goals and eight assists against the Scarlet Knights in a game that was never in question. Stony Brook is headed to its third Elite Eight and eying its first-ever Final Four appearance.
Charlotte North broke another program record, and No. 4 BC beat Temple, 21-11: The fourth-seeded Eagles stockpiled 14 first-half goals against the Owls. BC added seven more the following period. As has often been the case this year, North captained the ship, setting a new school record for goals in an NCAA Tournament game with eight on 12 shots. It was a juggernaut day for the Eagles’ attack line. Jenn Medjid chipped in four goals and three assists, Cara Urbank scored a pair of goals and tallied three feeders, and Caitylnn Mossman had a hat trick and an assist.
Northwestern demolished Denver’s top-10 defense, 19-4: Erin Coykendall and Izzy Scane were locked in. The duo combined for 10 of Northwestern’s 19 goals. Scane scored eight of those, but Coykendall—who had a game-high six assists—delivered Scane five feeders. Denver struck first blood, yet, after that, the Pioneers were stifled by a Wildcats defense that featured a career-high five caused turnovers from Jill Girardi. Goalie Madison Doucette also registered seven saves in the decisive win.
No. 10 Loyola’s tourney dreams ended with a 20-8 loss to ’Cuse: The Greyhounds are still searching for their first Final Four appearance since 2003. Loyola traded goals with Syracuse in the early going, however, the Orange rattled off four goals in the span of three minutes to take a 6-2 lead, which eventually ballooned into a 13-4 halftime advantage. Meaghan Tyrrell was the architect of the win. She notched a team-best seven goals, setting a Syracuse single-game NCAA Tournament record in the process. Her sister, Emma, snagged four goals of her own, and the Orange rolled.
HOW ABOUT THOSE TAR HEELS?
Late first-half run propelled No. 1 UNC to a 14-9 win over No. 11 JMU: The top-ranked Tar Heels hadn’t played in two weeks, and they were dealt red-hot CAA champion JMU. The Dukes turned that momentum into an early 4-2 lead. But that’s when UNC kicked it into gear, scoring seven of the half’s final nine goals. UNC preserved its lead in the second frame. Jamie Ortega had a game-high four goals, and Katie Hoeg moved into second place on the NCAA’s all-time assist leaderboard.
Katie Hoeg cradles the ball in UNC’s 14-9 win against James Madison in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on May 16. Photo courtesy: Jeffrey A. Camarati / UNC Athletics.
Elite Eight Matchups to Watch:
BC vs. Notre Dame: It doesn’t get much better than this. A Holy War, and the winner goes to the Final Four. BC outclassed its rival in the teams’ previous meetings this season, especially in the first half. The Eagles outscored Note Dame by a combined 22-8 in the opening periods of their weekend doubleheader back in mid-April. North racked up a total of 10 goals in the two games. The Irish will have to find a way to slow BC’s fourth-ranked scoring offense. Or else, Kasey Choma, Maddie Howe, and Madison Ahern are going to have show out.
Northwestern vs. Duke: If you think BC’s offense is impeccable, check out Northwestern. No team comes close to rivaling the Wildcats’ scoring attack. Led by Scane, Northwestern averages 20.5 goals per game. Head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller’s team is also posting the second-best scoring margin (10.29 goals per game) in women’s college lacrosse. Northwestern just tore apart Denver, which was allowing fewer than 10 goals per contest. Duke will have its hands full. The Blue Devils have the firepower to keep pace. They have scored 17-plus goals in five games this year. Their best bet is if Maddie Jenner can dominate the draw.
Numbers to Know:
10 - draw controls per game by Duke’s Maddie Jenner, the third-most in the country. There’s no better player left in the tournament when it comes to owning the circle.
10.7 - scoring margin (goals per game) posted by Florida, the highest in Division I women’s college lacrosse. The Gators have won their first two NCAA Tournament games by a combined 32 goals.
89 - goals scored by Northwestern’s Izzy Scane this season, the most in the nation and the most in single-season Wildcats history.
Izzy Scane looks to embrace teammate Erin Coykendall after scoring a goal during Northwestern’s 19-4 win over Denver on May 16. Photo courtesy: Northwestern Athletics.
Tewaaraton Watch:
The finalists for the Tewaaraton Award were named on May 14. The winner of the sport’s national player of the year award will be announced during halftime of a Premier Lacrosse League game between the Whipsnakes and Chaos on June 5 (it will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network).
FINALISTS
D — Lizzie Colson, Maryland (Gr.)
G — Taylor Moreno, UNC (Sr.)
A — Charlotte North, BC (Sr.)
A — Jamie Ortega, UNC (Sr.)
A — Izzy Scane, Northwestern (Jr.)
How the three attackers compare in goal scoring (added points for reference, too):
ALSO…
USA Lacrosse Magazine announced its 60 All-Americans for the 2021 season. UNC was at the front of the pack with seven selections. Next came Syracuse with six. And Northwestern and BC followed with five apiece.
Here are the first- and second-team honorees:
FIRST TEAM
A — Katie Hoeg, UNC
A — Charlotte North, BC
A — Jamie Ortega, UNC
A — Izzy Scane, Northwestern
M — Shannon Kavanagh, Florida
M — Ally Kennedy, Stony Brook
M — Ally Mastroianni, UNC
M — Sydney Watson, UConn
D — Lizzie Colson, Maryland
D — Sarah Cooper, Syracuse
D — Emma Trenchard, UNC
D — Cara Trombetta, Florida
G — Taylor Moreno, UNC
SECOND TEAM
A — Ali Baiocco, Stanford
A — Lauren Gilbert, Northwestern
A — Maddie Jenner, Duke
A — Meaghan Tyrrell, Syracuse
M — Kasey Choma, Notre Dame
M — Olivia Dirks, Penn State
M — Grace Griffin, Maryland
M — Karson Harris, Drexel
D — Meredith Chapman, UVA
D — Callie Humphrey, Duke
D — Ally Palermo, Northwestern
D — Hollie Schleicher, BC
G — Sarah Reznick, Florida
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