Queens (N.C.) College overcame a five-goal deficit and held off Tampa 16-15 in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Women’s Lacrosse Championship. Host Tampa was the No. 1 seed for the South Region.
Queens, which had lost to Tampa in its season opener on Feb. 16, won its 15th straight game to improve to 18-2 and advance to the NCAA quarterfinals for the third time in the last four years.
After a high-scoring first half that left the teams tied 11-11, Queens goalie Chase Brokaw shut things down in the second half. Brokaw made 10 of her 14 saves in the second half, limiting the Spartans to just four goals in the final 30 minutes.
Ally Blood paced the Queens offense with three goals and four assists and Kara Blanchard and Hanna Scott each scored four goals.
Queens trailed 11-6 before scoring five goals in the final 3:14 of the first half to tie the game and extened the scoring run to six when Scott opened the second-half scoring.
Queens took its biggest lead at 16-13 on Kyleight Masteran’s goal with 15:20 remaining, but then went scoreless the rest of the game.
Queens hung for the victory as Chase made six saves in the final 15 minutes, including two in the final minute of the game.
Carly Vaccaro had five goals and two assists for Tampa, which finished its season 14-5.
In the other South Region first round game, Rollins upset No. 2 seed Florida Southern 12-11 on Lily Rizk’s goal in overtime. It was the fourth goal of the game for Rizk, which led the Tars.
Rollins trailed 5-2 in the game, but closed the first half on a seven-goal run. Gabby Tanner made seven of her 11 saves in the opening half and earned her 15th victory of the season.
Atlantic Regional
Maggie Stella scored six goals as West Chester stretched its winning streak to 12 games with a 20-10 victory over Seton Hill. West Chester, which needed overtime to beat Seton Hill in the PSAC tournament last weekend, never trailed in the contest.
East Stroudsburg raced out to a 7-1 halftime lead and beat Mercyhurst 12-8. Hana Cicerelle lead the Warriors with four goals and three assists and TJ Jefferis also scored four times.
West Chester and East Stroudsburg will meet for the regional title in a rematch of last weekend’s PSAC championship game, which West Chester won 13-9.
North Regional
Reigning NCAA champion LeMoyne bounced back from its first loss of the season by beating Mercy 17-7. LeMoyne, which was upset by Merrimack Northeast-10 championship game on Sunday, had seven different players register multiple points, led by Sydney Meagher with three goals and two assists, and Hannah George made 11 saves.
Adelphi avenged an earlier overtime loss to LIU Post, scoring the first five goals in a 16-3 rout. Kole Pollock scored six goals for Adelphi and Alison Johnson had two goals and five assists.
Adelphi and LeMoyne will renew their spirited rivalry on Sunday in the regional championship game. LeMoyne won the regular season game 8-7.
Midwest Regional
Ali Vanek and Andrea Macalalad each scored four goals and Regis improved to a perfect 19-0 with a 17-14 victory over Indianapolis. Regis led by as many as seven goals before UIndy went on a five-goal run late in the game. Hannah Bunce scored for times for UIndy and Destinie Katz had a goal and five assists.
Colorado Mesa scored the first two goals of the second half to break a 6-6 tie and never trailed again in an 8-6 win over Lindenwood. Kenzie Blackwell and Olivia Hayden eadch scored three goals for Colorado Mesa and Lula Mitchell made 11 saves. Maria Johnson scored four for Lindenwood.
Scoreboard
Atlantic Regional – West Chester, Pa.
West Chester 20, Seton Hill 10
East Stroudsburg 12, Mercyhurst 8
Championship (5/12): East Stroudsburg at West Chester
North Regional – Syracuse, N.Y.
LeMoyne 17, Mercy 7
Adelphi 16, LIU Post 3
Championship (5/12): Adelphi at LeMoyne
Midwest Regional – Denver, Colo.
Regis 17, Indianapolis 14
Colorado Mesa 13, Lindenwood 9
Championship (5/12) Colorado Mesa at Regis
South Regional – Tampa, Fla.
Queens (N.C.) 16, Tampa 15
Rollins 12, Florida Southern 11 (OT)
Championship (5/12) Rollins vs. Queens at Tampa