SALISBURY, Md. - The Salisbury University women's lacrosse program earned a 17-9 NCAA Second Round victory over Union College (N.Y.) Sunday afternoon inside Sea Gull Stadium.
The Sea Gulls (18-0) fell down 3-0 in the first eight minutes of the first quarter to the Garnet Chargers (14-7).
Lauren Hackett got SU on the board with a free-position goal before Union extended the lead to 4-1. Two goals in the final four minutes of the period from
Regan McDonnell and
Miranda Mears helped the Sea Gulls cut the Chargers' lead to 4-3 at the end of the opening frame.
Salisbury dominated the second quarter, outscoring Union 5-1 and earning an 8-5 halftime lead. Mears tallied two goals, Hackett tallied her second goal of the game, while
Leah Doy and
Grace Milliron also added goals. Milliron,
Audrey Harrington, and Hackett added assists during that span. Salisbury outshot Union 11-3 in the quarter and 17-9 for the first half.
Union got the scoring started in the third period, bringing the SU lead to just two, before
Grace Doyle and Doy tallied goals to extend the lead to 10-6. With under five minutes in the third quarter, Harrington and Milliron connected for a goal to force a Chargers timeout and earn the largest lead of the game for SU. Doyle and Mears tallied goals off assists from
Mackenzie Demaio and Harrington, giving the Sea Gulls a 13-7 lead heading into the final quarter of action.
Union started the fourth quarter with two straight goals before Mears and Harrington connected for a goal to stop the run. Hackett and Doy connected for another just a minute later to match the start for the Chargers. With under three minutes remaining, Doyle and Mears tallied goals off assists from Demaio while the SU defense tightened up down the stretch to secure the 17-9 NCAA Tournament Second Round victory.
GAME NOTES
- The Sea Gulls advanced to their tenth straight regional semifinal with the win.
- Audrey Harrington (1-5-6) and Miranda Mears (6-0-6) spearheaded the SU scoring on the afternoon. Harrington tied her career-high point output in the postseason and Mears surpassed her previous bar.
- Lauren Hackett gave a balanced pair of goals and assists.
- Grace Doyle, Grace Milliron, Leah Doy and Mackenzie Demaio all recorded three points. Doyle and Doy went for hat-tricks and Demaio dished out three helpers, Milliron chipped in a tally and two assists.
- Abby Fleishell picked up two ground ball and caused two turnovers.
- Paige Ellis improved to 17-0, making four saves, adding three caused turnovers and two grounders.
The Sea Gulls will face 14th-ranked York (Pa.) and host No. 19 CNU and No. 5 Denison on the 16th and 17th inside Sea Gull Stadium. Ticket information and game times will be announced in the coming days.
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), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). 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 211 conference championships, and have produced 54 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
