Vol. 14: Close Calls and Unexpected Falls Encapsulate Upset-Minded Opening Weekend
The NCAA Tournament gifted us with a mid-major comeback for the ages and six second-round games decided by two goals or fewer, including a national seed upset.
UAlbany’s Sarah Falk goes to goal in a first-round, comeback win over UVA in the NCAA Tournament. Photo courtesy: Jamie Schwaberow/Clarkson Creative Photography.
The opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament had it all. Sure, seven of the eight seeds are in the Elite Eight, with the lone exception being a top-10 ACC team in Notre Dame. But six of the eight second-round games were decided by two goals or fewer.Â
The Fighting Irish scored a game-winner with less than 15 seconds remaining to beat 6-seed Florida. James Madison went on a late scoring run to snatch a win from a stunned Maryland squad, and both Northwestern and Loyola survived second-round tests.Â
Oh, and Denver’s defense is still elite. The upset of the tournament? UAlbany defeated Virginia in the first round. The win was UAlbany’s second all-time in the NCAA Tournament. The loss came in UVA’s 71st NCAA Tournament game, the second most of any program in the country.Â
We love May Madness.
BEST GAMES OF THE FIRST ROUND
UAlbany gets second NCAA Tournament win, upsets Virginia: You know what they say, save the best for last. The final game of the first round saw the Great Danes orchestrate a seven-goal, second-half comeback and upset UVA. And, so, after winning its first America East Tournament title since 2012, UAlbany won its second NCAA Tournament game all-time. Head coach Katie Thomson’s team found itself down, 10-3, with less than 12 minutes left in the third quarter. Then the Great Danes roared all the way back, and then some.
They stitched together a 12-2 run, in large part thanks to Sarah Falk. The senior middie scored seven goals in that span, twice finding the back of the net for back-to-back scores. UAlbany posted a 13-9 advantage in the circle in the second half and, perhaps more notably, won 9-of-12 ground balls over the final two quarters. UVA threatened to force overtime, as Morgan Schwab assisted Kate Miller and Ashlyn McGovern for goals to make it 15-14 with approximately a minute to go.
But a timely caused turnover by UAlbany senior defender Mackenzie Beam prevented a potential Cavaliers equalizer, and Katie Pascale located Shonly Wallace for a game-clinching insurance goal on the other end. Pascale finished with a bit of everything: four goals, three assists, 10 draws and three caused turnovers. Along the way, she climbed atop UAlbany’s leaderboard with 234 career points. UVA, meanwhile, finished the season 11-6 after a 6-0 start.
UAlbany poses after its shocking 16-14 win over UVA in the first round. It was the Great Dane’s second-ever NCAA Tournament win. Photo courtesy: UAlbany Athletics.
Johns Hopkins handles UMass, as another Minutewomen season ends on skid: Johns Hopkins entered the NCAA Tournament with some question marks. Carrying an 8-8 record, the Blue Jays had been bounced in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament as the 3-seed. Last Friday, though, Johns Hopkins looked like it more than deserved its at-large bid to the 29-team national field. The Blue Jays put to bed any skepticism about their tournament qualifications, dispatching of a 16-win UMass team, 19-8.Â
Everything went Johns Hopkins' way, starting with a 7-1 scoring run that lasted into the second quarter. Junior attacker Campbell Case, freshman middie Ava Angello and sophomore midfielder Ashley Mackin each had at least five points. Hopkins nearly doubled up UMass in shots, 39-20. To top it off, the Blue Jays were a perfect 19-for-19 on clears.
The win was John Hopkins’ first in the NCAA Tournament since 2016. Meanwhile, UMass has fallen in the first round of the last three tournaments. In each of the last two seasons, the Minutewomen lost their final two games.
James Madison fends off Army in neck-and-neck thriller: Following a one-goal loss in the AAC Championship, JMU got back to winning ways with a 12-8 victory over Army. Junior attacker Isabella Peterson logged 15 shots by herself, and the Dukes outshot the Black Knights in the game, 40-21. Army hung with JMU, trailing by just two goals at halftime, but the Dukes’ offense proved overpowering. Peterson finished with four goals and one assist, and junior midfielder Taylor Marchetti added a hat trick.
Army freshman goalie Lindsey Serafine held her own amid the barrage of JMU shots, tallying 14 saves and allowing 12 goals. Four Black Knights—Julia Gorajek, Kathleen Sullivan, Brigid Duffy and Julia Franzoni—combined for all of Army’s points. The Black Knights finished with a 15-5 record and the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
JMU Tewaaraton Award finalist attacker Isabella Peterson prepares to shoot against Army amid a 12-8 win against Army in the first round. Photo courtesy: JMU Athletics.
Notre Dame makes statement with 15-goal win over Mercer: In the first-ever meeting between the two schools, Notre Dame wasted no time jumping on Mercer in the Gainesville regional. The Fighting Irish used an 8-0 first quarter to cruise to a 21-6 win. Irish senior captain Kasey Choma finished with 10 points (6 goals, 4 assists), good for the third most in a single game in Notre Dame history.Â
Choma had seven points in the first quarter against the Bears, scoring or assisting on all but one goal in the frame. Junior midfielder Mary Kelly Doherty and senior attacker Jackie Wolak each finished with seven points in the game, too. Notre Dame has now eclipsed the 20-goal mark in five games this season, and the Irish rank eighth in the nation in scoring offense at 15.61 goals per contest.
If you feel like you’ve seen a lot of Notre Dame in May, it’s because you have. The Irish have earned an NCAA Tournament bid in nine of the last 10 years.
Denver’s defense holds serve and Pioneers outlast Trojans: Quietly, Pac-12 champion USC put up a good fight against the sport’s lone remaining undefeated team. Actually, 5-seeded Denver had the smallest margin of victory (three goals) of any seeded team last Friday. The Pioneers, who entered the NCAA Tournament with the best scoring defense in the country (5.84 goals per game allowed) had to fend off a USC comeback that included six straight goals between the second and third quarters. That surge, which featured five different scorers, tied things up at 6-6.
Fortunately for host Denver, its defense snapped back into form, allowing just one more goal over the final 18:55. USC sophomore middie Christina Gagnon scored a free-position goal to make it 8-7 with 10:41 left, except that was the last shot the Trojans got off. By the end of the fourth quarter, the Pioneers’ zone defense had completely swallowed up the Women of Troy, who turned the ball over on their last six possessions. Previously scoreless, Denver senior attacker Julia Gilbert fueled a game-ending 4-1 run, scoring three goals down the stretch, two of which were on woman-up opportunities.Â
Defenders Trinity McPherson and Sam Thacker both caused three turnovers in the win, helping the Pioneers hold yet another opponent to single digits.
Denver senior attacker Julia Gilbert moves inside the eight-meter arc during a 10-7 win over USC. Photo courtesy: Jamie Schwaberow/Clarkson Creative Photography.
SECOND ROUND ROUNDUP
With Choma’s late-game heroics, Irish slip past 6-seed Florida: Coming off a 10-point performance in the first round, Notre Dame captain Kasey Choma outdid herself yet again, scoring the game-winning goal against Florida with 10 seconds left. The Irish defeated the 6-seeded Gators, 16-15, to secure their fifth appearance in the quarterfinals.Â
The Irish came out of the gates hot, outshooting Florida, 24-8, in the first half. After three early lead changes, Notre Dame closed the second quarter on a 4-1 run, during which Kristen Shanahan, Kelly Denes, Mary Kelly Doherty and Madison Ahern all scored. Facing an 8-5 halftime deficit, Florida stars Maggi Hall, Emma LoPinto and Danielle Pavinelli scored a combined seven goals across the final two quarters. Pavinelli tied the game, 15-15, with 1:22 left, completing a comeback that took over 37 minutes of game play.Â
Just over one minute later, Irish senior attacker Jane McAvoy dished a beautiful pass to a cutting Choma inside the arc. With two defenders draped on her, Choma still was able to score on a falling catch-and-shoot opportunity. She finished with four goals and two assists and was named the National Co-Offensive Player of the Week by the IWLCA.
Northwestern survives low-scoring slugfest versus Michigan: The Wolverines nearly flipped the NCAA Tournament bracket upside down in Evanston. They staked themselves to 4-3, 5-4 and 6-5 leads, ultimately taking a one-goal advantage into the final quarter. Unlike its first two meetings with Northwestern this season, Michigan got off to a strong start Sunday.
The Wolverines’ energy was particularly noticeable on defense, where it wreaked havoc on the normally explosive Wildcats, who boast the nation’s top scoring offense. Michigan junior goalie Maya Santa-Maria piled up 10 saves on the day, and Northwestern Tewaaraton Award favorite Izzy Scane was limited to one goal and one assist. Things weren’t smooth sailing for the Michigan attack, either, however, the second of two first-half goals from star Jill Smith put the Wolverines ahead at intermission.
Albeit in an 8-7 loss, goalie Maya Santa-Maria and the Michigan defense held Northwestern to its lowest goal output this season. Photo courtesy: Michigan Athletics.
It was the Northwestern defense that came to the rescue. The Wildcats forced six Michigan turnovers in the fourth quarter alone, during which they outscored the Wolverines, 3-1. Junior defender Carleigh Mahoney’s first goal of the season came at the right time: a low rip that gave Northwestern a much-needed insurance score. That proved to be the difference, as head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller’s team held on for an 8-7 win.
The third time was almost the charm for Michigan, which also lost to Northwestern, 16-8, in March and, 18-11, earlier this month in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. But, like all great teams do, the Wildcats found a way.
Tar Heels use strong second half to down Richmond: The Spiders gave defending national champion North Carolina a scare, that’s for sure. Riding high off decisive wins against UMass in the A-10 Championship and Marquette in the first round, Richmond took an 8-7 lead into halftime against the 4-seeded Tar Heels. Led by Arden Tierney and Lindsey Frank, who combined for 10 points, the Spiders made their move in the second quarter when they scored four consecutive goals, turning a two-goal deficit into a two-goal advantage.
Richmond held UNC scoreless for more than 12 minutes in the second quarter, but unassisted goals from Reilly Casey and Olivia Dirks got the Tar Heels back on track offensively. Success in the circle helped UNC carry over that momentum from the first half. The Heels won 10-of-14 draw controls over the final two quarters and used a pair of three-goal runs to fend off Richmond, which was making its first Sweet Sixteen appearance in the first year of Anne Harrington’s head coaching stay.
Frank—a senior middie who scattered a total of 14 goals across her final three games—pulled the Spiders within one score of UNC, 13-12, with 5:09 to go. But Lauren Figura, a St. Joseph’s transfer, put away her former A-10 foe with back-to-back goals, jumpstarting a game-ending 3-0 run.Â
Terps unravel, JMU closes on five-goal run to advance to Elite Eight: In the 48th meeting between the two schools and the second this season, JMU snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against rival Maryland. The Dukes won, 15-14, thanks to a five-goal scoring surge across the final 6:21.
Following a back-and-forth first half, Maryland dominated the third quarter to take a 14-10 lead. Libby May, Chrissy Thomas and Shaylan Ahearn each had a pair of goals and an assist, and Hannah Leubecker had five points off the bench. After May’s second goal, JMU’s Shelley Klaes called timeout with 9:18 left in the fourth quarter.
Maryland wouldn’t score the rest of the game. Isabella Peterson did. She scored or assisted on three of the Dukes’ final five goals, putting her at 112 points on the season. Peterson tied the game, 14-14, with 2:04 to go, and, just 70 seconds later, Tai Jankowski connected with Caitlin McElwee for the game-winner. JMU outscored Maryland, 7-2, in the fourth quarter, and they are now 6-42 all-time against the Terps. This marks the ninth Elite Eight in JMU program history but the first in which the Dukes have won two games to reach the quarterfinal.
Boston College edges Penn to secure sixth straight Elite Eight appearance: The Weeks twins did it again. Just like at Notre Dame on April 8, Courtney found Cassidy for the game-clinching score against Penn Sunday. This time, Cassidy’s goal didn’t go down as the game-winner, but it might as well have—it halted a 3-1 Quakers run and gave the Eagles a one-score cushion with 1:46 remaining.
Head coach Acacia Walker-Weinstein’s team gripped to its 9-7 lead the rest of the way, knocking out Ivy League champion Penn, which staged a comeback after trailing, 5-1, late in the first half. It was an unusually low-scoring game for two squads in the top 25 nationally in scoring offense. Sophomore middie Anna Brandt, who logged a game-high three goals, and senior attacker Niki Miles inspired a Quakers comeback that saw them cut their deficit to one goal late in the fourth quarter. Yet, when it mattered most, the Eagles’ defense stood tall. Freshman goalie Shea Dolce rounded out the day with eight saves.Â
BC graduate middie Cassidy Weeks charges toward net amid a 9-7 win against Penn in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Photo courtesy: Brody Hannon/BC Athletics.
Since the second week of April, Courtney Weeks has piled up 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists). Cassidy is right behind her with 21 points (15 goals, 6 assists). And, in that eight-game span, BC has conceded just 9.6 goals per game, holding each of its last four opponents—including Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament semifinals—to single digits. Now, for the third time this season (and the second time in the Elite Eight), the Eagles will face their Holy War rival.
Chase Boyle, Katie Detwiler lead Loyola to one-goal win over Stony Brook: Stony Brook versus 8-seed Loyola looked like an even matchup on paper, and it couldn’t have finished much closer. The Greyhounds used a third-quarter scoring run and stout defense to win, 9-8, over the Seawolves. With the score tied, 4-4, in the opening moments of the second half, Loyola graduate defender Katie Detwiler scored in transition to spark a 4-0 Greyhounds flurry. Sophomore midfielder Chase Boyle scored twice during that stretch and finished with a game-high four goals.Â
Stony Brook would not go away. The Seawolves tied the game three separate times, and senior attacker Kailyn Hart scored three goals in the final four minutes to pull Stony Brook back within one. Head coach Joe Spallina’s team just didn’t have enough offensive firepower. For only the third time this season, junior midfielder Ellie Masera was held to fewer than two goals. She finished with one score and three assists, and Detwiler defended her masterfully for most of the game.
Loyola is in the Elite Eight for the second straight season.
Graduate defender Katie Detwiler leaps into the arms of sophomore goalie Lauren Spence during a 9-8 win over Stony Brook. Photo courtesy: Larry French/Loyola Athletics.
Denver holds UAlbany to six goals, punches ticket to program’s second Elite Eight: Denver’s defense aced yet another test, this time against a high-powered UAlbany offense in the second round. The Great Danes were coming off a 16-goal showing in their dramatic upset of UVA and ranked second in the nation in free-position percentage (54.7%). But, on Sunday, they were just 2-for-8 on free-position attempts, and Denver used a strong third quarter to secure an 8-6 win.
The Pioneers jumped in front, 3-0, in the first quarter, but Great Danes senior midfielder Sarah Falk answered with a three-goal run of her own to tie the game. UAlbany took the lead for the first time in the third quarter, but Denver outscored the Great Danes, 4-1, from that point forward. Denver senior captain Julia Gilbert registered a hat trick, and sophomore attacker Lauren Black had two goals and an assist. In goal, Emelia Bohi was solid yet again for Denver, finishing with six saves and six goals allowed. But UAlbany freshman goalie Grace Cincebox stole the show, making 14 saves. Without her, the score could have looked a lot more lopsided.
Denver will play in the Elite Eight Thursday for just the second time in school history. The Pioneers fell to 1-seed Maryland in the quarterfinal in 2019 after upsetting 8-seed Michigan, 9-5, in the second round.
Denver celebrates during its 8-6 victory against UAlbany in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Photo courtesy: Garrett Ellwood/Clarkson Creative Photography.
Syracuse rebounds with blowout win over Johns Hopkins: The Orange are back. After losing two of their previous three games, including an ACC Tournament semifinal to UNC, they reminded the rest of the NCAA Tournament field that they’re still very much a national title contender. Head coach Kayla Treanor’s team rolled past Johns Hopkins, 25-8, on the back of 13 combined goals between Emma and Meaghan Tyrrell.
Emma’s career-high seven goals were tied for the most scored by a Syracuse player in an NCAA Tournament game. With Meaghan’s nine points (6 goals, 3 assists), she became the Orange’s all-time NCAA Tournament points leader (54). The Tyrrell sisters headlined a prolific offensive performance, in which eight different Syracuse players found the back of the cage. Natalie Smith notched a career-high four goals, and Meg Carney had a hat trick.
On the other end, the Orange recorded their 11th game with 10 goals or fewer conceded. Goalie Delaney Sweitzer made 11 stops, and defender Coco Vandiver paired two caused turnovers with two ground balls. Johns Hopkins was coming off a first-round outing with 19 goals, the program’s most in an NCAA Tournament game. But a 9-2 first-half Syracuse run practically sucked the life out of the Blue Jays’ offense. Johns Hopkins is still searching for its first Elite Eight appearance since 2007.
Numbers to Know:
7 – Top-seeded Northwestern has the most national championships of any of the remaining teams with seven. The Wildcats won all seven in an eight-year stretch from 2005-2012, only falling to Maryland in the 2010 title game.Â
2017 – The last time an unseeded team made the Final Four. In 2017, both BC and Navy reached the national semifinals and were unseeded. The Eagles would beat the Mids, 16-15, but fell to 1-seed Maryland in the national title game, 16-13.
4 – The number of remaining teams that have never won a national championship—Denver, Loyola, Notre Dame, Syracuse. The Orange have been runners up three times (2012, 2014, 2021), and Loyola has been runner up once (1997).
Tewaaraton Watch:
The Tewaaraton Award winner will be announced following the conclusion of the season on June 1 in Washington D.C. All five finalists this season are attackers. Each of them remains in the NCAA Tournament field after opening weekend.
FINALISTS
Erin Coykendall, Sr. — Attack (Northwestern)
First-team All-Big Ten
2023 NCAA Tournament stats (1 game): 2 goals, 1 assist (3 points)
Season stats (19 games): 50 goals, 44 assists (94 points)
Jenn Medjid, Grad. — Attack (BC)
First-team All-ACC
2023 NCAA Tournament Stats (1 game): 2 goals, 1 assist (3 points)
Season stats (19 games): 73 goals, 20 assists (93 points)
Isabella Peterson, Jr. — Attack (JMU)
AAC Attacker of the Year
2023 NCAA Tournament stats (2 games): 11 goals, 3 assists (14 points)
Season stats (21 games): 89 goals, 23 assists (112 points)
Izzy Scane, Grad. — Attack (Northwestern)
Big Ten Attacker of the Year; 2021 Tewaaraton finalist
2023 NCAA Tournament stats (1 game): 1 goal, 1 assist (2 points)
Season stats (17 games): 82 goals, 28 assists (110 points)
Meaghan Tyrrell, Grad. — Attack (Syracuse)
ACC Attacker of the Year; 2022 Tewaaraton finalist
2023 NCAA Tournament stats (1 game): 6 goals, 3 assists (9 points)
Season stats (19 games): 55 goals, 50 assists (105 points)
Additionally, USA Lacrosse Magazine announced its annual All-American list earlier this month. Syracuse, BC, Loyola and JMU each have two first-team honorees. No school had more players make the first, second or third team or receive an honorable mention nod than BC (nine). Northwestern (eight) was close behind.
Here are the first and second teams:
FIRST TEAM
A — Jenn Medjid, Boston College
A — Isabella Peterson, James Madison
A — Izzy Scane, Northwestern
A — Meaghan Tyrrell, Syracuse
M — Kasey Choma, Notre Dame
M — Ellie Masera, Stony Brook
M — Belle Smith, Boston College
M — Jillian Wilson, Loyola
D — Meghan Ball, Rutgers
D — Katie Detwiler, Loyola
D — Mairead Durkin, James Madison
D — Sam Thacker, Denver
G — Delaney Sweitzer, Syracuse
SECOND TEAM
A — Erin Coykendall, Northwestern
A — Julia Gilbert, Denver
A — Emma LoPinto, Florida
A — Hailey Rhatigan, Northwestern
M — Shaylan Ahearn, Maryland
M — Brigid Duffy, Army
M — Fiona McGowan, UMass
M — Cassidy Weeks, Boston College
D — Abby Bosco, Maryland
D — Trinity McPherson, Denver
D — Sydney Scales, Boston College
D — Sammy White, Northwestern
G — Sarah Reznick, Florida
Elite Eight Schedule:
JMU @ Syracuse, May 18, 12 p.m.
Notre Dame @ BC, May 18, 2:30 p.m.
Denver @ UNC, May 18, 5 p.m.
Loyola @ Northwestern, May 18, 7:30 p.m.
Hope you enjoyed this edition of the Quick on the Draw newsletter. If you liked it or know someone who will, please share! We’ll be back next week for more coverage.