2024 Women's Lacrosse NCAA Regional Preview

5/17/2024 12:39:00 PM

The Rundown

The fifth-ranked Salisbury University women's lacrosse team continues the hunt for its fifth National Championship this weekend, beginning with a regional semifinal against the Babson College Beavers on Saturday, May 18 at 10:30 a.m. inside Sea Gull Stadium. The winner of that game advances to Sunday's regional final, taking on the victor of Saturday's second contest between the Washington & Lee University Generals and the Christopher Newport University Captains. Sunday's game is set for a 1:30 p.m. start inside Sea Gull Stadium.

How We Got Here

Fifth-ranked Salisbury enters the weekend with a 15-3 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. The Sea Gulls shook off CNU in the C2C title game, nabbing their fourth consecutive league title.

Camryn Pepper and Miranda Mears vs. Cabrini, 5-12-24

Clipping Cabrini

Salisbury snagged the spotlight in the second round of 2024's Big Dance, firing a season-high 23 goals against the Cabrini University Cavaliers in a 23-6 victory to advance to the second weekend. Camryn Pepper led the blitz, notching a career-high 10 points with five goals and five helpers on the day. SU's scoring outburst was the highest for the program since posting 25 goals in the second round three years ago on May 8, 2021 against SUNY Morrisville.

Live Video (All Games)

Live Stats (All Games)

Saturday Tickets

Sunday Tickets

Parking Information

All-Conference Honorees

Players to Watch

Camryn Pepper | Sr. | A

Meridith Price | Sr. | M

Elizabeth Hesen | Sr. | D

Offense
Midfield
Defense

Camryn Pepper - After Sunday's effort, the North Caroline High School product leads the team in both assists (33) and points (61), scoring 28 goals to take fourth on the team in the process. She ranks in the top-100 nationally in both assists and assists per game.
Mary Hanzsche - The Berwyn, Pa. native has starred for the Sea Gulls, closely trailing Pepper in assists (30) and points (57) while ranking fourth in the conference in helpers and helpers per game (1.67).
Erin Scannell - Salisbury's veteran attacker slots third on the team in goals (31) and draw controls (28) while distributing 10 assists. Scannell's 31st goal of the season, scored in Sunday's NCAA second-round win, moved her into second in program history in career goals (173).
Miranda Mears - One of two Parkside products featured among the 2024 Sea Gulls, Mears has provided an offensive punch off the Salisbury sideline, following only her high school counterpart in Leah Vilov in goals (33) on this year's squad.
Alexandra Parker - Parker has been one of SU's best from the eight, netting four of her 16 scores on free-position opportunities while shooting 59.3 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 44 goals so far in 2024. She ranks fifth in the league in scoring while scooping 20 ground balls and causing 15 turnovers.
Meridith Price - The Street, Md. native is a versatile weapon in the SU midfield, logging 24 points on 12 goals and 12 assists while ranking second on the team with 49 draw controls and tacking on 17 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers.
Grace Doyle - The York, Pa. product has sent 15 balls to the back of the cage while ranking fourth on the team in draw controls (25).
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 (.565) and putting 20 of her 23 shots on goal this season (.870). Ott also added 22 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 (69), ground balls (46), and caused turnovers (34). Her clip of 1.89 caused turnovers per game ranks second in the conference.
Madeline Davis - A back-to-back All-C2C First Team nod, Davis has logged 30 ground balls and 27 caused turnovers in 2024.
Abby Fleishell - The sophomore from Sykesville, Md. stepped up for the Sea Gulls, corralling 23 ground balls and causing 12 turnovers. She was a force 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 10th in the nation with a 7.73 GAA. She has recorded 93 saves and a 14-3 record across 18 games.

17-2 (10-0 NEWMAC) in 2024
Second consecutive conference crown; 10th NEWMAC title since 2007
Competed in four of the last six tournaments dating back to 2017; 6-9 record across nine trips to the Big Dance
Knocked off No. 14 Stevens in NCAA Second Round on Sunday, May 12
Signature Wins: No. 13 Trinity (Conn.), No. 15/20 MIT twice, No. 17 Chicago
Signature Losses: No. 1 Middlebury, No. 16 Amherst
Offensive Player to Watch - #23 Lily Ives: Ives leads the team in both goals (54) and points (71) while shooting a crisp 51.9 percent on the season.
Defensive Player to Watch - #22 Anna Costello: Costello has recorded team-highs in ground balls (50) and caused turnovers (54) in 2024 en route to locking down NEWMAC Defensive Player of the Year laurels.
Goalkeeper - #31 Kathleen Murphy: Murphy boasts a 7.44 GAA with 107 saves and a 17-2 record this season.

17-3 (9-0 ODAC) in 2024
16-game winning streak
Beat No. 13 Roanoke to claim 14th consecutive, 24th overall ODAC title
Signature Wins: No. 2 Gettysburg, No. 4 F&M, No. 10 TCNJ, No. 13 Roanoke, No. 14 York (Pa.), No. 15 Roanoke, No. 21 Shenandoah
Signature Losses: No. 4 Tufts, No. 9 Salisbury, No. 24 CNU
Offensive Player to Watch - #23 Hanna Bishop: Bishop leads her team in goals (53), assists (35), and points (88) this season, which proved enough to earn ODAC Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Defensive Player to Watch - #15 Eugenie Rovegno: Rovegno locked down her third straight ODAC Defensive Player of the Year recognition, the first three-time player of the year of any kind in ODAC women's lacrosse history. Along with 107 draw controls, Rovegno has collected 42 ground balls and forced 39 miscues.
Goalkeeper - #73 Caroline Kranich: Kranich has made 106 saves across 20 games, boasting a 7.65 GAA and a 17-3 record for the Generals.

14-6 (1-1 C2C) in 2024
Earned at-large bid to NCAA Tournament; fell to Salisbury in C2C title game
Signature Wins: No. 7 W&L, No. 16 Roanoke, No. 19 St. John Fisher
Signature Losses: No. 5 Salisbury twice, No. 14 York (Pa.)
Offensive Player to Watch - #9 Kelsey Winters: Winters was named the C2C Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight season in 2024. She has compiled 93 points on 24 goals and 69 assists through 20 games to lead the Captain offense.
Defensive Player to Watch - #1 Brookelyn Morrison: Morrison leads the Captains in draw controls (85) and caused turnovers (53) while ranking second on the squad in ground balls (45) this season.
Goalkeeper - #34 Hadley Chadwick: Chadwick has piled up 114 saves across 20 starts, boasting a 9.13 GAA and a 13-6 record.

Division III Tournament Bracket