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Julianna Ott at Tufts, 5-18-25
7
Salisbury SU 16-5
8
Winner Tufts TUFTS 20-1
Salisbury SU
16-5
7
Final
8
Tufts TUFTS
20-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Salisbury SU 1 3 1 2 7
Tufts TUFTS 2 2 1 3 8

Game Recap: Women's Lacrosse | | Nick Lewis

No. 7 Women’s Lacrosse brings No. 1 Tufts to brink in NCAA Regional Final loss

SU holds third straight NCAA foe to single-digit goals; first time since '16

MEDFORD, Mass. – The seventh-ranked Salisbury University women's lacrosse team battled in every sense of the word on Sunday evening, giving top-ranked Tufts a scare in the Division III Regional Final before ultimately suffering an 8-7 defeat at Bello Field.

The Jumbos (20-1, 9-1 NESCAC) needed just over five minutes to find the game's first two goals before Audrey Harrington connected with Miranda Mears to get SU on the board. Mears found paydirt on a feed from Avery Dunbar in response to a Tufts finish early in the second, slicing the margin to one with 8:32 left in the half, 3-2.

After the fourth Tufts goal a minute later, the Sea Gulls (16-5, 2-0 C2C) stacked back-to-back goals from Lauren Hackett and Mears (both aided by Harrington) to tie the tilt at the midpoint, 4-4.

The third quarter saw just two goals scored, the first by the hosts just over four minutes in. Harrington backed down her defender and deposited a sidewinder to return the deadlock heading to the fourth quarter, 5-5.

Tufts began the quarter with a three-goal run spanning not quite six minutes before Harrington stepped up in another big moment with a solo score. Hackett and Harrington connected for a seventh SU strike with 12 seconds remaining, but the Jumbos held on to secure their spot in Salem, Va. next weekend.

GAME NOTES
  • Audrey Harrington tallied a team-high six points on two goals and four assists in the battle. Her stellar junior campaign concludes with All-America and C2C Offensive Player of the Year praise along with 76 points on 34 goals and 42 assists and four game-winning goals.
  • Miranda Mears punched in her second hat trick of the tournament, firing three of SU's seven goals in Sunday's action. Mears also boasted a phenomenal campaign in 2025 with a career-high 48 goals and two assists, putting 49.5 percent of her looks on goal with a career best six game-winners.
  • Lauren Hackett fired in two goals for the second straight game and the third outing in her last four. She wraps the 2025 season with a career-high 10 goals including a game-winner and a player-down goal.
  • Abby Fleishell headlined the defensive effort in the bout, tying her career-high with five ground balls while causing three turnovers. The USA Lacrosse Magazine First-Team All-American and C2C Defensive Player of the Year had her best season yet in '25, securing 59 draw controls and 45 ground balls while causing 36 turnovers.
  • Natalie Held finished with two ground balls and two draw controls while causing one Jumbo turnover. The '24 IWLCA Defender of the Year concludes her Sea Gull career as one of the program's most decorated defenders, stacking 168 career draw controls and 125 ground balls while disrupting 101 possessions across 70 games with 50 starts.
  • Paige Ellis (14-5) was stellar in goal for the Sea Gulls, turning away eight Jumbo tries while digging out four ground balls and causing three Tufts turnovers. Ellis concludes her first season as the full-time starter with an 8.31 GAA and 128 saves on 413 shots faced across over 1,100 minutes.
  • The Sea Gulls held all three of their NCAA Tournament foes to single digit scoring totals, accomplishing the feat for the first time since the 2016 postseason.
Salisbury concludes the 2025 season with a 16-5 overall record, reaching a second straight Regional Final and the team's eighth in the last 10 years while earning a fifth consecutive conference championship.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming) and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's 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 won a combined 23 team national championships, 24 individual national championships, and 205 conference championships, and have produced 51 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.
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