Women's Lacrosse | 5/19/2021 3:01:00 PM
PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Final Four – It has a nice ring to it don't you think? Speaking of rings, the nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College women's lacrosse team will look to punch its ticket to the National Championship game this weekend as the No. 9 Cardinals are set to meet No. 3 Tufts University in the NCAA Championship Semifinal at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Va.
Those who are unable to make the trip south can still cheer on the Cardinals from anywhere in the world by clicking on the links below.
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TICKET INFORMATION
Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. The Kerr Stadium box office will open one hour prior to the game (1 p.m.).
Tickets are for one single game only. The stadium will be cleared between contests.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: The field started with 36 teams two weeks ago and has been whittled down to just four remaining contenders. The Cardinals, who are making their first-ever trip to the national semifinal, earned their spot in the Final Four after defeating Cazenovia in the opening round before taking out No. 6 Catholic in the second round. Fisher defeated No. 16 William Smith on a final minute goal in the Sweet 16 before bouncing No. 10 Messiah in the Elite 8. Tufts earned a first round bye before plowing through Cabrini, Roger Williams and outlasting The College of New Jersey, 11-10, to earn its second consecutive trip to the Final Four. The Big Red of No. 8 Denison University will also be making its first appearance in Salem after overtaking the University of Chicago, 10-7. Denison also had an opening round bye before defeating Saint Mary's College (Ind.), 17-2, and Aurora, 16-5. Salisbury University, the nation's fourth ranked team in the latest poll, earned its spot in the Final Four for the 12th time in its history after blasting the Bombers of Ithaca College in the Elite 8. The Seagulls, who have won three national titles since 2010, took out Morrisville in the second round before cruising past Washington and Jefferson in the Sweet 16.
PICK YOUR POISON: We may have used this in an earlier preview, but the message still holds true – balance is critical at this stage of the game and Fisher doesn't rely on one or two players to carry the load. In all, Fisher has seven players with at least 24 points led by Sydney DeGirolamo's 73 – 14 of which have come in the NCAA Championship. Brittany Halpin has been credited with 64 points on the year and has scored at least five points in a game five times while Alyssa Sproule owns 59 points on the year including a team-leading 52 goals. Logan Chase has been the anchor of Fisher's midfield as the Cortland native has 48 total points to go along with 38 ground balls, 28 caused turnovers and 54 draw controls.
QUICK DRAW: One of the reasons Fisher has been able to have so much success over its tournament run has been its ability to control the draw and therefore possession. In fact, the Cardinals have more draw controls than any other team in the country entering the weekend with 298. To date, DeGirolamo, who is the program's all-tie leader in draw controls, leads Division III with 153 through 19 games. Chase has come away with 54 draws already while Mackenzie Alexander has 45 to her credit.
ALL-REGION RECOGNITION: Earlier this week, the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association announced its All-Region teams with three of Fisher's best being included among those honored. DeGirolamo, Chase and defender Erin Mills were each recognized as First-Team All-Region after guiding the Cardinals to their ninth consecutive Empire 8 title earlier this month.
STREAKS IN TACT: - Entering the weekend's matchup with the Jumbos, Fisher has extended some impressive streaks including having won its ninth straight Empire 8 Championship two weeks ago. The Cardinals have reached the NCAA Championship in each of the last nine years and are currently riding a 13-game winning streak – the third longest streak of any team in Division III at the moment. Salisbury ranked second among all Division III programs after having won 18 straight contests while Tufts boasts a 12-game winning streak leading into the Final Four.
SIX OF ONE, HALF A DOZEN OF ANOTHER: In all, Fisher has had six programs reach the final four or finish inside the top four at an NCAA Championship event. Women's basketball finished as the national runner-up twice in 1988 and again in 1990 while the softball team, which will also begin its quest for an NCAA Championship on Friday, finished inside the top four at the Division III World Series in 2016 and was the national runner-up in 2017. Men's golf finished third in the NCAA Championship in 2008 while the football team also placed third overall in 2006. Women's lacrosse will try to break that trend and become the first-ever team champion in Fisher's storied athletic history.
WE MEET AGAIN: The Cardinals and Jumbos have met just once in the past with Tufts earning a hard-fought 20-18 win over Fisher on May 9, 2009 in the regional semifinal round of the NCAA Championship. Lauren Galvin finished that game with eight points including five goals while Meg Merriam and Courtney Clare each netted four goals apiece.
SCOUTING TUFTS: The Jumbos bring an undefeated 9-0 record into play on Saturday and reached the NCAA Championship after winning the New England Small College Athletic Conference behind a 14-3 defeat of Wesleyan. Tufts runs a high-scoring, up-tempo offense led by Catherine Lawliss's 46 points on 33 goals and 13 assists. Emily Games has produced 35 points in nine games including 26 goals while Colette Smith and Kirsten Grazewski have notched 25 and 24 points, respectively.
Defensively, the Jumbos have surrendered just 53 goals to their opponents this season and have caused 79 turnovers. Molly Laliberty has seen a majority of the minutes in goal and has a 6.12 goals against average to go along with 94 saves.
SCOUTING DENISON: The Big Red has won 12 of its 13 games this season and enters its bout with Salisbury riding a six-game winning streak. Denison is capable of putting up goals in bunches as it is averaging 17.0 goals so far this season, and like Fisher, is well-balanced. Liza Farnham leads the team with 34 goals and 49 total points. Casey McTague has been credited with 39 points on 33 goals and six assists while Molly Fischer has 37 total points. Jane Bailey and Lindsey Karsh have combined to produce 66 points while Ryann Yospa has 27 points in 12 games.
In goal, the Big Red have used two keepers headlined by Caroline O'Dea who is 7-1 with a 6.74 goals against average. Maeve Caldwell is 5-0 and leads the team with a 4.86 goals against average.
SCOUTING SALISBURY: The Seagulls are no stranger to the Final Four as Saturday will mark their 12th overall trip to national semifinal. No. 4 Salisbury has been an offensive powerhouse all year with 300 goals over 18 games. Alexis Strobel will the central focus of any team as she is among the nation's leaders with 101 points on 27 goals and 74 assists. Lydia McNulty owns 67 points with a team-leading 58 goals while Erin Scannell has found the back of the net 46 times in all. Julie Talbert has 39 points while Anna Robinson has 32.
The Seagulls are led by Mary Claire Hisle in goal along with her 16-0 record. Hisle is playing to a 7.90 goals against average and has saved nearly 47 percent of the shots she has faced on goal.