The only surprise among the top seeds was No. 4 UC San Diego, which arrived in Texas with a 14-1 record but got throttled by No. 13 Vermont Club, 21-12. Eleven different players found the back of the net for the Catamounts, with attackers Maggie Calzaretta and Mairead Cassidy leading the way with three goals each.
It was a good day all around for the New England Women’s Lacrosse League as two other league members joined Vermont in the winner’s bracket. No. 6 seed New Hampshire Club dominated Portland, 13-2, with Allison Kelley scoring three goals to pace the offense. And No. 8 seed Providence beat No. 9 Oakland 18-5 to earn a date against No. 1 Utah Valley on Thursday.
“We executed really well at both ends of the field today, and we hope to do the same tomorrow against Utah Valley,” said Providence coach Kelly Hartnett. “We know that there are a lot of good teams here and we hope to be ready and focused again tomorrow against one of the best.”
The closest game of the day was one of the last of the day, with No. 10 Boise State making the most of its first-ever appearance in the tournament with a 14-9 win over No. 7 Cal State San Marcos. Five goals from junior midfielder Saylor Leising and 12 saves by junior goalie Nikee Brumbaugh led the Broncos.
Thursday’s Division II Quarterfinal Schedule
(all games starting at 1 p.m. CT)
No. 1 Utah Valley (11-1) vs. No. 8 Providence (7-2)
No. 2 Loyola Maryland Club (11-1) vs. Boise State (7-2)
No. 3 Grand Valley State Club (11-1) vs. No. 6 New Hampshire Club (8-1)
No. 5 St. Thomas (13-1) vs. No. 13 Vermont Club (7-3)