SALISBURY, Md. - The Salisbury University women's lacrosse program earned a 10-5 victory in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen Regional Semifinal battle against York College (Pa.) Saturday afternoon inside Sea Gull Stadium, advancing into the Regional Final for a third straight year.
The Spartans (16-5) got the scoring started just one minute into the contest before the Sea Gulls (19-0) rattled off the next four goals to take a commanding early lead, forcing a York (Pa.) timeout with just under five minutes left in the opening quarter.
Miranda Mears tallied two goals in that span, with
Leah Doy and
Mackenzie Demaio also adding goals.
Lauren Hackett assisted two of the SU goals, with
Avery Dunbar and
Audrey Harrington also adding assists. Despite the Spartans outshooting the Sea Gulls 7-6, SU led 4-1 at the end of the first quarter.
Abby Fleishell earned her first career assist and point as a Sea Gull after finding Hackett for a goal to start the second slate of action, extending the Sea Gull lead 5-1.
Grace Doyle added to the totals with a free position attempt goal just four minutes later. After five goals in the first quarter, the teams only combined for three goals in the second. SU outscored York (Pa.) 2-1 and headed into the halftime break with a 6-2 lead. Shots were dead even, 13-13 at the end of the first half, but the Sea Gulls put 12 of those shots on goal compared to just eight for the Spartans.
After the opening five minutes of the third went scoreless, York (Pa.) struck first in the second half, cutting the Salisbury lead in half, 6-3. Four minutes later, Doyle found the back of the net to push the lead back to four for SU and forced a Spartans timeout. The offense kept rolling for Salisbury, Dunbar tallied a goal after working her defender one-on-one before the Spartans tallied one more goal, sending the game to the fourth quarter with Salisbury leading 8-4.
Dunbar also got the scoring started in the final quarter of action, giving Salisbury a five-goal lead with just 10 minutes remaining in the NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal battle. York (Pa.) tried to make a run late, but the Sea Gulls added another goal from Hackett and held on 10-5 for the NCAA Regional Semifinal victory.
Game Notes
- Hackett finished with four points, two goals, and two assists on just five shots.
- Dunbar finished with two goals and one assist.
- Mears and Doyle both finished with two goals each.
- Paige Ellis tallied eight saves in goal for the Sea Gulls, holding York (Pa.) to their lowest scoring total of the entire season.
- The Sea Gulls outshot the Spartans 26-21, with 17 of those 26 for SU coming on goal.
- SU won the draw control 9-8 and also went 15-17 on clear attempts.
The Sea Gulls will host the winner of the Denison-Christopher Newport game tomorrow at 1 p.m. inside Sea Gull Stadium for the Regional Final and a trip to the 2026 NCAA Division III Final Four.
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.
