SALEM, Va. – The fifth-ranked Salisbury University women's lacrosse team started fast and held strong late to hand the ninth-ranked William Smith Herons a 13-10 defeat and punch its ticket to the 10th NCAA Championship game in program history.

The Sea Gulls advance to face top-ranked Middlebury in Sunday's 2024 NCAA Division III National Championship game.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Caroline Knight began the scoring just under five minutes into the matchup, placing a runner on the top shelf to put the Sea Gulls in front. Miranda Mears followed just over a minute later, dunking in a rebound on the doorstep to conclude the first period's scoring, 2-0.
• The Salisbury defense swarmed the Herons in the first 15 minutes, causing four turnovers and holding the team to just two shots.
• Mears struck again to begin the second, firing a feed from Camryn Pepper past the Heron net-minder to extend the lead to three. Molly Davis got William Smith on the board less than a minute later, but Meridith Price tacked on a pair of goals while Mears found her third to fuel a three-goal response and set the score at 6-1 with five minutes left in the half.
• The Herons added a pair before the intermission, with Katherine Murray finding Allie McGinty just under the three-minute mark and Maddie Montgomery logging a solo score to set the halftime score at 6-3.
• Alexandra Parker delivered a helper to Mary Hanzsche with 10:15 left in the third quarter, giving Salisbury a four-goal cushion. William Smith carved away at that advantage over the next four minutes, with Maddie Schleicher and McGinty each scoring unassisted goals to tighten the affair to 7-5.
• The Sea Gulls responded with their own pair of finishes, courtesy of Erin Scannell and Mears. William Smith's Montgomery beat the third-quarter buzzer by 18 ticks, sending the matchup to the fourth with a 9-6 score.
• Davis brought William Smith back within two in the opening minutes of the final period before Scannell took advantage of a card to return the margin to three goals. The Herons got the closest they had been since 0-0 with 8:06 remaining, using goals from Natalie Daniels and Montgomery to crawl within one.
• Salisbury rose to the challenge in the final minutes, outpacing the Herons 3-1 in the final eight minutes. Hanzsche set up Grace Doyle for the squad's 11th goal, while Julianna Ott notched a pair of unassisted goals to counteract one Montgomery goal and secure a spot in the 2024 National Championship, 13-10.

SALISBURY GAME NOTES

• Miranda Mears lit up Kerr Stadium in the win, firing four goals to bring her to total to an even 40 on the season. Mears has scored three or more goals in seven games and four goals twice in 2024.
• Mary Hanzsche logged a trio of points on one goal and a pair of helpers.
• Erin Scannell, Meridith Price, and Julianna Ott each scored twice for Salisbury. Price also logged one ground ball, one caused turnover, and one draw control in the win.
• Camryn Pepper dealt two assists in the Final Four matchup.
• Natalie Held matched Ott with six draw controls on the afternoon while scooping three grounders and forcing two Heron errors.
• Madeline Davis tallied a trio of ground balls and caused a pair of William Smith mistakes.
• Leah Vilov forced a pair of Heron miscues in the victory.
• Kaitlyn Hunsinger stood tall between the pipes, turning away six Heron tries across the full 60 minutes to improve to 17-3 on the year.
• With the win, Salisbury secured its 10th appearance in the NCAA Championship game in program history.

WILLIAM SMITH GAME NOTES

• Maddie Montgomery paced the Heron offense with four goals, adding three draw controls and causing two turnovers.
• Molly Davis and Allie McGinty each added braces in the loss. Davis secured two draw controls and forced two Salisbury miscues.
• Natalie Daniels hauled in a game-high nine draw controls and scored in the semifinal.
• Maura Smeader was tagged with the loss, making seven saves across the full 60 minutes.

UP NEXT

• The Sea Gulls advance to the 2024 NCAA Division III National Championship game, clashing with the top-ranked Middlebury College Panthers for the 11th time in program history on Sunday, May 26 in Salem, Va.
• Opening draw is set for noon inside Donald J. Kerr Stadium on the campus of Roanoke College.

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Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 199 conference championships, and 45 Academic All-Americans.

To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.