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2024 Women's Lacrosse NCAA First, Second Round Preview

5/10/2024 1:00:00 PM

The Rundown

The fifth-ranked Salisbury University women's lacrosse team begins the quest for its fifth National Championship on Sunday, May 12, facing the winner of Saturday's opening round battle between the 24th-ranked Haverford College Fords and the Cabrini University Cavaliers at noon. Sunday's game is set for a 1 p.m. start at Sea Gull Stadium.

How We Got Here

Fifth-ranked Salisbury enters the tournament with a 14-3 overall record including wins in both Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) matchups against Christopher Newport and Mary Washington during the regular season. The Sea Gulls defeated seven ranked teams, including triumphs over No. 4 Gettysburg and No. 7 F&M. Salisbury finished the season 6-2 at home, 6-0 on the road, and 1-1 in neutral-site games. Salisbury has won 61 consecutive games against conference opponents, a streak that dates back to then-Capital Athletic Conference foe York (Pa.) on April 12, 2017.

C2C Champions

The Sea Gulls nabbed their fourth consecutive conference crown in 2024, knocking off second-seeded and 21st-ranked Christopher Newport by a 15-4 final inside Sea Gull Stadium on Saturday, May 4. After conceding the opening tally, Salisbury rattled off 15 unanswered goals to stamp the program's 22nd conference championship in team history.

Live Video (All Games)

Live Stats (All Games)

Saturday Tickets

Sunday Tickets

Parking Information

All-Conference Honorees

Players to Watch

Camryn Pepper | Sr. | A

Leah Vilov | Sr. | M

Natalie Held | Jr. | D

Offense
Midfield
Defense

Mary Hanzsche - The Berwyn, Pa. native has starred for the Sea Gulls, leading the team in assists (29) and points (54) while ranking third in the conference in helpers and helpers per game (1.71).
Camryn Pepper - The North Caroline High School product stands second on the team with 51 points, scoring 23 goals and ranking fourth in the C2C in assists (28) and assists per game (1.65).
Erin Scannell - Salisbury's veteran attacker slots third on the team in goals (30) and draw controls (26) while distributing eight assists. Scannell logged a season-high four goals in the C2C title game to power the Salisbury offense in the win.
Miranda Mears - One of two Parkside products featured among the 2024 Sea Gulls, Mears has provided an offensive punch off the Salisbury sideline, finishing second only to her high school counterpart in Leah Vilov in goals (32) on this year's squad.
Alexandra Parker - Parker has been one of SU's best from the eight, netting four of her 14 scores on free-position opportunities while shooting 56 percent on the season, the best clip among Sea Gulls with 20+ shots.

Leah Vilov - The pride of Parkside continues to headline the Sea Gull offense, providing a team and career-high 43 goals so far in 2024. She ranks fifth in the league in scoring while scooping 16 ground balls and causing 13 turnovers.
Meridith Price - The Street, Md. native is a versatile weapon in the SU midfield, logging 23 points on 11 goals and 12 assists while ranking second on the team with 46 draw controls and tacking on 16 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers.
Grace Doyle - The York, Pa. product has sent 14 balls to the back of the cage while ranking fourth on the team in draw controls (24).
Julianna Ott - The Woodbine, Md. product is Salisbury's model of efficiency, ranking second among Sea Gulls with 20 or more shots in shot percentage (.545) and put 19 of her 22 shots on goal this season (.864). Ott also added 21 draw controls in the regular season.

Natalie Held - The C2C's reigning Defensive Player of the Year elevated her game in 2024 to take the honor once again, leading the team and setting new career marks in draw controls (66), ground balls (45), and caused turnovers (31). Her clip of 1.82 caused turnovers per game ranks third in the conference.
Madeline Davis - A back-to-back All-C2C First Team nod, Davis has logged 28 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers in 2024.
Abby Fleishell - The sophomore from Sykesville, Md. stepped up for the Sea Gulls, corralling 22 ground balls and causing 12 turnovers. She was a forced in the conference championship, leading the Sea Gull defense with three forced errors.
Elizabeth Hesen - Hesen slots third on the team with 16 forced turnovers while adding 14 ground balls on the season.
Kaitlyn Hunsinger - The graduate net-minder landed back on the All-C2C First Team this season, ranking atop the conference and 11th in the nation with an 7.79 GAA. She has recorded 90 saves and a 13-3 record across 17 games.

12-6 (6-2 Centennial) in 2024
Sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history; second in last three seasons
Earned road win over Cabrini in 2024 season opener, 15-10
Signature Wins: No. 15 CNU
Signature Losses: No. 2 F&M twice, No. 8 York (Pa.), No. 8 Gettysburg
Earned at-large bid after losing to No. 4 F&M in Centennial Conference Semifinal
Offensive Player to Watch - #3 Brooke Epstein: The team's leader in points (80) and goals (60), Epstein powers the Haverford offense that ranked seventh in the CC in scoring (12.06).
Defensive Player to Watch - #25 Eva Baumann: Baumann has taken a team-high 30 possessions from the opposition while adding 36 ground balls to rank second on the squad.
Goalkeeper - #33 Lizzie Symonds: Symonds ranks fourth in the Centennial with a 10.05 GAA, recording 139 saves at a 48.1 percent clip with a 10-6 record.

14-4 (5-0 AEC) in 2024
35-game conference winning streak
Signature Losses: No. 10 TCNJ
Defeated Marymount (Va.) to claim Atlantic East title and automatic qualifier
Offensive Player to Watch - #11 Olivia Little: The Atlantic East Player of the Year ranks 14th in the nation in assists (54) and points (108) while slotting 21st in points per game (6.00).
Defensive Player to Watch - #18 Caroline Gallagher: Gallagher claimed AEC Defensive Player of the Year after tallying 26 goals while also ranking atop the conference and 27th nationally causing 2.83 miscues per game.
Goalkeeper - #4 Abbey Fenton: Fenton has recorded a 12-4 record across 18 games in 2024, ranking 28th nationally with an 8.61 GAA while making 80 saves.

Division III Tournament Bracket