Taylor's 10: This Weekend's Top NCAA Tournament Matchups

Taylor Cummings is a three-time Tewaaraton Award winner, a two-time gold medalist with the U.S. women’s national team, the inaugural Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse champion and the head coach at McDonogh (Md.). “Taylor’s 10” is presented by Gait Lacrosse. Be legendary.

Part two of the women’s collegiate lacrosse season is officially complete as conference tournament play wrapped up last weekend and it’s on to the NCAA tournament.

I hope that young lacrosse fans watched the insane matchups because there was so much high-level lacrosse being played and many opportunities to learn. The access that this next generation of players has to film is unmatched, and it’s a fantastic tool for growth that should be utilized!

Personally, my favorite part of this year’s battles was watching how the plans and strategies evolved from the teams’ first meetings to their second (or sometimes third). We saw faceguards added to top players, new offensive sets designed to exploit defensive holes and even new defenses altogether. In some of the games, the usual suspects stepped up in crunch time, while in others, previously quiet contributors had all-star level performances.

As we look ahead to the final portion of the season, there are some early matchups in the NCAA tournament that will need expert-level planning to win.

This week’s article looks back at some of the best games of conference tournament time as well as a few battles that I’m looking forward to watching this weekend!

LOOKING BACK

Florida 9, James Madison 8

This rematch was one I’d been hoping would happen since the first meeting in mid-March, when JMU won 14-9. Unfortunately for the Dukes, Florida was able to right the ship when it mattered most thanks to the spectacular play in net by goalie Sarah Reznick, the stout defensive effort by Becky Browndorf and the Gators’ composure on the offensive end. The Gators found themselves down by two goals in the second half and used quick ball movement and sharp cuts to create openings in a typically suffocating JMU zone defense. Their offensive composure and efficiency were the difference maker for Florida in this matchup.

Jacksonville 14, Liberty 13 (OT)

Scoring a winning goal in overtime of a championship game is what every athlete dreams about in the backyard. For Jacksonville attacker Brianna Samuels, that dream became a reality when she scored a crafty fadeaway twizzler to punch the Dolphins’ ticket to the NCAA tournament. Having the confidence and composure to pull off a trick shot in such a big moment says a lot about both Samuels and this year’s tenacious Jacksonville squad. The Dolphins’ poise made the difference on Saturday.

Sacred Heart 7, Wagner 6

This game was a defensive battle for three quarters until Sacred Heart decided to take things up a notch on offense late in the fourth. They won back possession after possession from both caused turnovers and saves by keeper Lisa Martin and capitalized on their offensive end as time trickled down. My favorite goal of the game was the tying tally by Emma Kittredge on a woman-up opportunity. She caught a feed from fellow Pioneer Kelly Nolan on the crease and shovel shot it low and away past Wagner’s Lauren DiStefano. It was a cheeky finish in a big moment that completely swung the momentum in Sacred Heart’s favor.

Loyola 13, Army 8

Army competed for 60 minutes on Saturday and even won the draw battle at the center circle, but Loyola’s depth at both ends of the field proved to be too much. All-American Greyhound defender Katie Detwiler limited budding star Brigid Duffy to four points, and Jillian Wilson handled other Army freshman phenom Allison Reilly with relative ease. Offensively, attacker Sydni Black — coined “Turbo” by commentators — used her lightning-quick first step and vision to pick apart Army’s man and zone defensive looks and was the catalyst for Loyola’s success.

Northwestern 14, Maryland 9

This game was eerily similar to the first meeting just a few weeks ago. Maryland came out strong, battled with the Wildcats for the first three quarters and bounced between leading the game and being within a goal or two for 45 minutes. In the fourth quarter, the depth of the Wildcat offense and poise of goalkeeper Molly Laliberty became too much for the Terps to overcome. Izzy Scane and Erin Coykendall put on an outside shooting show from the 8-meter, and Laliberty tallied 11 saves in the contest. The Wildcats look poised for a deep NCAA run as the tournament’s top seed.

LOOKING AHEAD

Stony Brook vs. Penn State

This first-round matchup is going to be wild and is probably one of the toughest of the entire slate on Friday. Both teams are known for their zones on the defensive end. They get top tier, full field play from midfielders O’Neill (Penn State) and Masera (Stony Brook), and they have offenses with multiple threats who are used to attacking zones. These programs have very much mirrored one another throughout this season and will be tough to beat so early in the tournament. Score Prediction: 16-13 Penn State

Penn vs. UConn

This will be an interesting one to watch. At this point in the season, Penn is the more tested of the two teams with games against fellow tournament teams Maryland, Loyola, Johns Hopkins, Florida, Jacksonville and Marquette. But UConn comes in with two recent, close games against No. 5 seed Denver and has seen tremendous growth between the regular season and the Big East tournament. I predict that this game will be one of the closest of the first round and will come down to the last possession. Score Prediction: 12-11 Penn

(5) Denver vs. USC

For being the No. 5 seed in this year’s tournament, Denver sure doesn’t have an easy first-round game. Pac-12 champion USC will be traveling to Colorado this week to take on the undefeated Big East champs in a game that has huge upset potential. Denver’s secret to success this spring has been solid goalie play, chaotic but controlled defense and steady offensive balance. However, the Pioneers average around 12 goals per game and are going against a stout defensive unit lead by goalie Kait Devir that holds opponents under eight goals on average. I anticipate this being a low scoring game dictated by defensive and goalie excellence. Score Prediction: 9-8 Denver

(6) Florida vs. Jacksonville

This is another potential tough first-round game for a seeded team. The sixth-seeded Gators face off against in-state opponent Jacksonville in a rematch of a game played less than three weeks ago. Florida won 16-11 in the first contest and is coming off a huge victory over JMU in the AAC championships, while Jacksonville pulled an upset of its own during conference championship play but struggled to get past Liberty in regulation. If the Dolphins can control the pace of play and draw possession, they may be able to pull off the upset, but I have a feeling the Gators’ depth may prove to be too much. Score Prediction: 18-12 Florida

(7) James Madison vs. Army

Seventh-seeded JMU faces off with one of the hottest teams of 2023 in Army, but these two programs could not be more different in terms of their tournament experience. JMU has been to this dance many times before and won the national championship in 2018, while Army is playing in its first-ever NCAA tournament game under head coach Michelle Tumolo. Army’s savvy offense against JMU’s tricky zone is going to be a top-level chess match, and I couldn’t be more excited to watch. I’m calling for the first upset of the 2023 tournament with this one! Score Prediction: 12-11 Army