Women's Lacrosse | 5/11/2025 8:20:00 PM
PITTSFORD, NY – The No. 14 St. John Fisher women's lacrosse team took command early and never looked back in a dominant 21-5 victory over John Carroll in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Sunday at Growney Stadium.
The Cardinals, who had a first-round bye, tied the program's single-season wins record and stayed perfect (19-0) with the victory. John Carroll, which beat Grove City in the first round on Saturday, finished its season 16-3.
Fisher will face Salisbury in the third round next weekend. A date, time and location will be announced later.
"This team just loves each other," head coach Linda Michele said after the game. "They work together, they hang out together, they are best friends. The culture here is so important to our success. All 39 of our players contribute to our success."
Four players recorded six points or more for the Cardinals, who reached 350 goals for the season in the victory, a program record. Sophomore Chelsea Lopata led the team with eight points on four goals and four assists, while junior Kaley Griffin (five goals, one assist) and seniors Mary Fiorentino (four goals, two assists) and Emma Biel (four goals, two assists) all had six points.
Junior defender Maddie Lowney became the fourth player in program history to reach 100 career caused turnovers with four in the contest.
How It Happened
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The Cardinals put the game out of reach with nine unanswered goals in the first 15 minutes of action. Fiorentino accounted for three of those goals, while Biel and Griffin each scored twice. Lopata and senior Hanna Kumpf contributed to the scoring with a goal apiece.
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All of those players scored a goal in the second quarter as the Cardinals pushed their lead to 14-2. Lopata tallied each of her four assists in the first half.
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The Cardinals continued to pour it on in the third quarter, scoring five more times to extend their lead to 19-4. Senior Farrah Zalla got in on the scoring in the quarter.
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Lopata and junior Sydney Closinski added two more tallies for Fisher in the fourth quarter.
Game Notes
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The Cardinals improved their NCAA Tournament record to 11-14 (10-12 under head coach Linda Michele).
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Lowney now has 42 caused turnovers this season, tied for the program's single-season record. Laurie Quackenbush had 42 back in 2008.
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Lopata now has 42 assists this season, the third most by a Fisher player in a single season.
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Lopata has tallied at least six points in each of Fisher's last five contests. She has 34 total points on 11 goals and 23 assists in that span.
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Fiorentino needs just one more point to become the seventh player in program history to reach 200.
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Lowney won a career-high 10 draw controls. The Cardinals won 21 of the 28 in the contest.
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The Cardinals scored on all five of their free-position shots.
Up Next
Fisher will face Salisbury in the third round of the NCAA DIII Tournament next weekend. A date, time and location will be announced later.
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