3. These teams have firepower.
Combined, the four semifinalists feature 15 players named last week to the USA Lacrosse Magazine’s All-American first, second and third teams.
Pace, West Chester and Florida Southern all rank among the top five scoring teams in the nation, just above or below 18 goals per game.
Individually, Pace’s first team All-American attacker Aleya Corretjer is the top scorer among the four teams and ranks fourth in the nation with 111 points (51 G, 60 A), followed by teammate Emma Rafferty with 95 points (77 G, 18 A).
Florida Southern’s Jackie Stoller, a graduate transfer who spent four years at Lehigh, is the other 100-point scorer among the semifinalists, ranking eighth nationally with 104 points (65 G, 39 A).
West Chester’s trio of All-Americans — attacker Lindsay Monigle (39 G, 60 A) and midfielders Hannah Stanislawczyk (86 G, 12 A) and Keri Barnett (78 G, 19 A) — all rank among the national scoring leaders as well.
Three-time All-American midfielder Molly Bursinger leads Grand Valley State with 65 goals and 85 points. Her team-high 119 draw controls also helped the Lakers lead the nation in draw control percentage (65 percent), just ahead of second place Pace (63.6 percent).
4. These defenses are pretty formidable, too.
West Chester, Pace and Grand Valley State all rank among the top 11 teams nationally in scoring defense. The undefeated Golden Rams, with a unit anchored by first team All-American goalie Jessica Gorr, are second stingiest in the nation at 6.90 goals per game. Pace is seventh (7.71), and GVSU is 11th (8.85).
Pace and West Chester also rank among the top five nationally in caused turnovers, with both generating over 13 per game. Individually, Pace’s All-American midfielder Angelina Porcello ranks sixth nationally with 2.43 caused turnovers per game.
5. So, is there a favorite?
That’s hard to say, since there’s no real Cinderella in this group. All four teams have enjoyed outstanding seasons and have been top-10 teams in the national rankings. Their credentials are legit, and they all have momentum heading into this weekend.
As the only undefeated team remaining, West Chester might get a slight nod and can achieve something that hasn’t happened since 2014, the crowning of an undefeated national champion. The last undefeated D-II winner was Adelphi, which completed a 22-0 campaign in 2014.
Whether or not that happens, we’ll still have some history made this weekend. A championship by either Pace or Grand Valley State would be their first and a fitting capper to historic seasons for those programs. And a title by FSC would put Coach Kara Reber’s program in rare company, becoming one of just five teams with multiple D-II championships.