The teams that entered the NCAA tournament ranked 1-4 in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Women’s Top 20 will play for the final No. 1 ranking and the national championship after winning quarterfinal games today.

No. 1 TCNJ, No. 2 Middlebury, No. 3 Salisbury and No. 4 Gettysburg had won their conference titles and earned regional weekend hosting duties from the selection committee, and each put home-field advantage to use as they moved on to the NCAA semifinals and final May 26-27 at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Va.

The Sea Gulls will play the defending national champion Bullets at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, and the Lions will play the Panthers at 2:30 p.m. The final is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday.

Scores from the four regional finals, followed by recaps of each:
No. 1 TCNJ 9, No. 10 Franklin & Marshall 6
No. 2 Middlebury 11, No. 9 York 10
No. 3 Salisbury 9, No. 14 Trinity 8
No. 4 Gettysburg 13, No. 5 Amherst 10

Defense Carries TCNJ over F&M

TCNJ held Franklin &Marshall scoreless for virtually the game’s last 24 minutes to move to its 26th final four with a 9-6 defeat of the Diplomats. Alex Fitzpatrick scored two of her game-high three goals during that same stretch, as the Lions outscored F&M 4-0 to break a 5-5 tie and cement their program record-tying 20th win.

Miranda Chrone made eight saves in goal for TCNJ, which faced its first deficit of the NCAA tournament when the Diplomats ran off three in a row in the first half for a 3-2 lead. The hosts answered in kind for a 5-3 lead at the break, and, after Brianna Gorman tied it at 5 for F&M with 23:49 to play, they put the clamps on the Diplomats until a goal with 40 seconds left and the outcome academic.

TCNJ has yet to allow an opponent to crack double digits this season, and it is averaging five goals allowed through three NCAA tournament wins.

Middlebury Scores Seven Straight to Rally Past York

Middlebury erased a 9-4 deficit with 23:33 left in the second half with a 7-0 run to stun York, 11-10. Emma McDonagh scored three of her career-high six goals to lead the Panthers’ comeback, during which they held the Spartans scoreless until just 28 seconds remained.

The Spartans had taken control in the first half, surging to a 7-4 lead at the break behind three Meghan Fox goals. Then Fox’s fourth, courtesy of a Devin Hursey assist, put York up 8-4 before Melissa Meehling had the Panthers’ 19th national semifinal berth in serious doubt.

But with three two-goal bursts, in which scores came 69, 80, and 13 seconds apart, respectively, Middlebury wiped out the doubts and the Spartans’ command. McDonagh gave her team its first lead of the game with 10:58 to play, and she added an insurance goal on a free-position shot with 1:33 remaining. Hursey fed Hayley McCormick to bring York within 11-10 with 28 seconds left, but the Panthers won the ensuing draw and ran out the clock.

Hynson Nets Winner Late to Lift Salisbury Over Trinity

Allie Hynson scored on a pass from Krissy Murphy with 11 seconds remaining to lift Salisbury to a 9-8 win over Trinity. The Sea Gulls surrendered a 5-0 first-half lead to the Bantams, who chipped away gradually and tied the game twice in the game’s final 10 minutes.

Hynson’s goal represented her team-high third of the day, and it came after an Abby McInerney turnover at the other end about a minute prior. The Sea Gulls cleared the ball and called timeout, after which Murphy occupied the right wing and fed a cutting Hynson for the game-winner.

Allie Barrett scored half of her team’s goals in the loss, including two straight after Salisbury’s hot start and the first equalizer at 7-7 with 9:30 to play. Murphy’s feed to Dana King put the Gulls back on top with 7:34 remaining, but McInerney again forged Trinity even at 4:05. Salisbury won the ensuring draw and got off several shots before the Bantams could regain possession, albeit only briefly.

Gettysburg Wins Game of Runs Over Amherst

The Bullets and the Mammoths combined for five scoring runs of at least three goals, but Gettysburg got the game winner in the last spurt and defeated Amherst, 13-10.

The Mammoths had jumped out to leads of 3-0 and 6-1 thanks in part to two goals each from Claire Dunbar and Hannah Fox. But Kerry McKeever scored two of her game-high five goals to key a 4-0 run by Gettysburg over the final 13 minutes of the first half, drawing the Bullets within 6-5 at the break.

After Dunbar fed Julia Crerend to put Amherst up by two, Gettysburg scored six of the next seven goals. Katie Landry’s unassisted tally with 13:37 eventually proved the winner, giving her team an 11-8 lead. And while Fox and Katherine Malone responded to bring the Mammoths within one, McKeever finished them off via assists from Katie Willis and Katie Landry to provide the final margin and keep alive Gettysburg’s hope of repeating as NCAA champion.