(1) NORTHWESTERN 8, MICHIGAN 7
Northwestern Defense Takes Control, Leads Wildcats into NCAA Quarterfinals
In their third matchup this season, Michigan had top-seeded Northwestern on the ropes, but the upset bid unraveled in the fourth quarter as the Wildcats came from behind to win 8-7 in Evanston, Ill.
The Wolverines (12-8) limited Tewaaraton frontrunner Izzy Scane to one goal (on 1-for-10 shooting) and one assist but were done in by eight fourth-quarter turnovers (21 total).
The Wildcats (18-1), who defeated Michigan 16-8 during the regular season and 18-11 in the Big Ten tournament, trailed 6-5 entering the fourth quarter but rallied with a three-goal run featuring unassisted goals by Hailey Rhatigan and Tewaaraton finalist Erin Coykendall (two goals, one assist). Carleigh Mahoney finished a Scane feed on a fast break ignited by Jane Hansen's caused turnover to put Northwestern ahead 8-6.
Michigan scored to pull within one, but Samantha White caused a Mariana Lopez-Ana turnover on the Wolverines' final possession to seal the Wildcats win.
Northwestern will host eighth-seeded Loyola in the NCAA quarterfinals Thursday. ... [READ MORE]
NOTRE DAME 16, (6) FLORIDA 15
Kasey Choma scored with 10 seconds left to lift Notre Dame to a 16-15 win over sixth-seeded Florida, as the Gators became the first seeded team to fall in the NCAA tournament.
With the Fighting Irish (15-5) up a player, Jane McAvoy threaded a feed to Choma between two defenders in front. Choma one-timed the ball beyond the reach of Florida goalie Sarah Reznick for the game-winning goal.
Choma also scored twice earlier in the fourth quarter to put Notre Dame ahead 15-11 with 6:55 remaining.
Florida (17-4) stormed back, however, tying the game at 15 on Danielle Pavinelli's unassisted goal with 1:22 left.
The Gators won the ensuing draw, but Madison Ahern got the ball back for the Fighting Irish, causing a turnover and drawing a foul on Paisley Eagan, setting the stage for Choma to finish off Florida.
Notre Dame will play at third-seeded Boston College in the NCAA quarterfinals Thursday. The Fighting Irish narrowly lost to the Eagles 12-11 during the regular season and 9-4 in the ACC tournament.
(4) NORTH CAROLINA 16, RICHMOND 12
Nothing has come easily this spring for defending NCAA champion North Carolina. Sunday was no different.
The fourth-seeded Tar Heels needed separate three-goal runs to close the third and fourth quarters to get by Richmond 16-12 in an NCAA tournament second-round game in Chapel Hill, N.C.
North Carolina trailed 10-9 midway through the third quarter and was clinging to a 13-12 lead late in the fourth before a Lauren Figura scored two straight unassisted goals to give the Tar Heels breathing room. Melissa Sconone finished with a team-high three goals and an assist.
Lindsey Frank (four goals, one assist) and Arden Tierney (two goals, three assists) had five points apiece to pace the Spiders (17-4).
North Carolina (16-4) will host fifth-seeded Denver in the NCAA quarterfinals Thursday.
(7) JAMES MADISON 15, MARYLAND 14
James Madison recaptured some of that 2018 magic Sunday.
Trailing by four goals with just over six minutes left, the seventh-seeded Dukes stunned Maryland with five unanswered goals to defeat the Terps 15-14 in Harrisonburg, Va.
Tewaaraton finalist Isabelle Peterson jump-started the rally with a free-position goal, assisted Taylor Marchetti to pull JMU within one and then tied the game with her 89th goal of the season with 2:04 remaining.
After Rachel Matey won the next draw, Tai Jankowski drew a double-team on the wing and spot-fed Caitlin McElwee in front. McElwee bounced a shot past Maryland goalie Emily Sterling to put the Dukes ahead in the final minute.
Maryland (15-7) had a chance to send the game to overtime, but James Madison goalie Kat Buchanan turned aside a shot by Kori Edmonson with 27 seconds left to preserve the win.
Peterson finished with seven goals and two assists for the Dukes (19-2), who will play at second-seeded Syracuse in the NCAA quarterfinals Thursday.
(8) LOYOLA 9, STONY BROOK 8
Jillian Wilson Wins Pivotal Draw, Leads Loyola Past Stony Brook
Jen Adams didn’t want to be caught without a plan.
With 17.4 seconds left in Sunday afternoons second-round NCAA tournament game between eighth-seeded Loyola and visiting Stony Brook, the Greyhounds clung to a one-goal lead. Jillian Wilson, their draw maestro, didn’t want to hear it. There would be no “what if” scenario if Wilson had it her way.
Loyola largely dominated the draw against the Seawolves, but Wilson had been called for two infractions inside the circle. Still, she remains profoundly confident that Stony Brook — which had scored three goals in the final 3:28 to narrow the deficit — would not touch the ball again.
“Jillian came over to me and said, ‘You do not need to worry about it. I will win us this draw,’” Adams recalled postgame. “Literally, came and grabbed me and said, ‘You don’t need to talk like that.’ That is Jillian Wilson in a nutshell. She’s extremely confident, but she backs it up.”
Wilson popped the ball in the air and won it herself, and Loyola survived the late scramble to beat Stony Brook 9-8. Wilson had two goals, two assists and four draw controls, and Loyola had a 14-6 draw advantage in the game.
The Greyhounds meet top-seeded Northwestern on Thursday in the NCAA quarterfinals. Start times for Thursday’s four quarterfinal matchups have yet to be announced. ... [READ MORE]
(3) BOSTON COLLEGE 9, PENN 7
A four-goal Boston College run spanning the first and second quarters was enough to give the third-seeded Eagles a lead they would not look back from — even if the Quakers made things interesting in the late stages of the game.
Courtney Weeks fed her twin sister, Cassidy, for the back-breaker with 1:46 remaining, and Boston College hung on to beat Penn 9-7 in Newton, Mass.
Mckenna Davis, Kayla Martello, Jenn Medjid and Courtney Weeks were the scorers during that 4-0 BC run that turned a 1-1 game into a 5-1 lead. Penn, which entered averaging over 14 goals per game, answered with two more to cut it to 5-3, but Boston College stayed in control.
Andrea Reynolds fed Davis for an 8-5 lead with 12:45 left, and with the slow-moving offenses, that appeared to be the dagger. Penn continued fighting, cutting it to 8-7 when Niki Miles scored with 6:59 left in regulation. The final minutes were helter-skelter, with Penn and Boston College trading possessions and neither finding a way to convert — that is until the Weeks-Weeks connection sealed the win.
Boston College will host Notre Dame in the NCAA quarterfinals Thursday. The Fighting Irish narrowly lost to the Eagles 12-11 during the regular season and 9-4 in the ACC tournament.
(5) DENVER 8, ALBANY 6
Denver held its 21st straight opponent in 2023 to under 10 goals, limiting upstart Albany to just six in an 8-6 win in Colorado.
An unexpected winner over Virginia in the first round on Friday, Albany wasa led by four goals from Sarah Falk.
Falk scored each of the first four goals for the Great Danes, who were tied with the lone undefeated team in the nation 4-4 at halftime. Albany then took the lead at 5-4 when Katie Pascale found Grace McCauley.
The Denver offense then found its footing. Four scorers — Julia Gilbert, Lauren Black, Sloane Kipp and Kayla Derose — finished their shots to turn that 5-4 deficit into an 8-5 lead with 13:04 left in the game.
There was still plenty of time left for Albany to fight back, but Emelia Bohi made two saves in the remaining time to dispatch the Great Danes.
North Carolina will host Denver in the NCAA quarterfinals Thursday.
(2) SYRACUSE 25, JOHNS HOPKINS 8
Sisters Emma and Meaghan Tyrrell combined for 17 points in a 25-8 drubbing of Johns Hopkins. Emma Tyrrell (seven goals, one assist) broke the tournament goals record set by her sister, who had six goals and three assists on Sunday. Megan Carney was also a big contributor, producing three goals and two assists. Natalie Smith scored four goals for Syracuse.
Syracuse had this game in hand as soon as Emma Tyrrell ripped off three straight goals in the first quarter, breaking a tie at 2. That started a run in which Syracuse scored nine of the next 11 goals for an 11-4 lead.
Syracuse plays seventh-seeded James Madison in the NCAA quarterfinals Thursday.
