Women's Lacrosse | 5/16/2025 3:53:00 PM
MEDFORD, MA – Two more wins stand between the No. 14 St. John Fisher women's lacrosse team and a trip to the NCAA Division III Final Four. The 19-0 Cardinals, the only unbeaten team left in Division III, face No. 7 Salisbury in the Round of 16 at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday at Tufts University's Bello Field. The winner will play No. 1 Tufts or No. 10 Pomona-Pitzer at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday with a trip to the national semifinals in Salem, Virginia, on the line.
How They Got Here
St. John Fisher: The Cardinals advanced to the third round of the tournament with a commanding 21-5 victory over John Carroll last Sunday at Growney Stadium.
The Cardinals, who had a first-round bye, tied the program's single-season wins record with the victory.
"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, 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.
The Cardinals' 21 goals marked their second-most ever in an NCAA Tournament contest.
Salisbury: Audrey Harrington scored with seven seconds remaining to break an 8-8 tie to lift the No. 7 Sea Gulls over No. 19 Haverford in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last Sunday.
Salisbury has reached the regional semifinals in nine consecutive seasons (excluding the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season).
Tufts: The No. 1 Jumbos beat Scranton 17-5 last Sunday to advance to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Margie Carden and Caroline Conaghan each scored three goals to lead Tufts.
Pomona-Pitzer: No. 10 Pomona-Pitzer beat Colorado College 23-10 last Sunday to advance to the Round of 16. Fiona Lewis led the Sagehens with a career-high eight goals.
About St. John Fisher
Head Coach: Linda Michele (16th season, 229-67 career, including 206-56 at Fisher and 23-11 at SUNY Brockport)
2025 Record: 19-0 (9-0 E8), won the Empire 8 Conference title
Top Wins This Season: 10-8 @ Williams College (03/1), 15-10 over No. 14 Ithaca (03/22), 8-5 over No. 8 William Smith (03/26)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 15 (13 in a row)
NCAA Tournament Record: 11-14 all-time (10-12 under Michele)
Final Four Appearances: 1 (2021)
Series History vs. Salisbury, Tufts and Pomona-Pitzer
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The Cardinals are 0-2 all-time against Salisbury. The teams last met in March 2022, and the Sea Gulls won that contest by 12 goals, 17-5.
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Tufts owns a 2-0 record against the Cardinals. The Jumbos beat Fisher in the 2021 Final Four before falling to Salisbury in the national championship game.
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Fisher has never faced Pomona Pitzer.
Carpenter Filling Up The Record Book
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Arguably the best player in St. John Fisher women's lacrosse history, senior midfielder Sydney Carpenter has been moving closer to another historic milestone over the last month. The three-time first-team All-American needs just five more points to pass Taylor Hughes (304 points from 2011-14) for the program and Empire 8 career points records.
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The 2025 Empire 8 Midfielder of the Year, Carpenter (126 assists and counting) passed Jordan Johnson (122 assists from 2014-17) for Fisher's all-time assists record this season.
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Carpenter holds the Empire 8 career draw controls record (503).
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She also ranks fourth in program history in goals scored (174), fifth in caused turnovers (91) and eighth in ground balls (170).
Lowney Named DIII Defensive Player of the Week
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The Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association named junior Maddie Lowney the Division III Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.
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Lowney, the two-time Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year, amassed a career-high 10 draw controls, picked up five ground balls and caused four turnovers in Fisher's 21-5 victory over John Carroll in the second round of the NCAA DIII Tournament on Sunday.
The Michele File
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Michele, who has 229 career victories (23 came at Brockport in 2010-11), won her 200th game as Fisher's head coach on April 16 against Brockport.
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The Cardinals have won the E8 and reached the NCAA Tournament every year under head coach Michele, who took over the Fisher program before the 2012 season (note: there was no E8 championship due to COVID-19 in 2020).
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The Cardinals have won 65 consecutive games against E8 teams, a streak that includes 26 straight victories in the conference tournament.
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The Cardinals have won at least 15 games in all but three of Michele's seasons as the program's head coach (excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season).
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The Cardinals have advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament four times under Michele.
Other Notes To Know
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The USA Lacrosse Magazine named five Fisher players 2025 Division III All-Americans, including Carpenter (first team), Lowney (second team), senior attacker Hanna Kumpf (honorable mention), senior defender Ella Stewart (honorable mention) and sophomore goalkeeper Kaylee Gadol (honorable mention).
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Lowney leads the Cardinals this season with 53 ground balls and 42 caused turnovers, tied for the program's single-season record. Laurie Quackenbush caused 42 turnovers back in 2008.
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A three-time All-Empire 8 first-team selection, Lowney stands third all-time in Fisher history in caused turnovers (101), fifth in draw controls (186) and 10th in ground balls (164).
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Senior midfielder Emma Biel, a first-team All-E8 selection this season, leads the Cardinals in goals (52) and ranks second on the team in total points (70).
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Kumpf has 61 points on 44 goals and 17 assists entering the third round of the NCAA DIII Tournament. The Empire 8 recently named her the conference's Offensive Player of the Year for the 2025 season.
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Over three seasons at Fisher, Kumpf has scored 125 goals (eighth in program history) and amassed 171 total points.
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Stewart has caused 28 turnovers and picked up 30 ground balls this season. Her 83 career caused turnovers stand seventh in Fisher history.
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Gadol, recently named E8 Co-Goalkeeper of the Year, leads Division III in goals against average (4.97). She's earned credit for 17 victories in net this season.
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Fiorentino needs just one more point to reach 200 for her career. She ranks seventh in program history in points and sixth in assists (76).
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Griffin was named MVP of the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament. She had seven points on six goals and one assist to go along with nine draw controls over two games. She had a goal, an assist and controlled seven draws in the championship game.
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Griffin has recorded seven draw controls in each of the Cardinals' last two contests.
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Lopata has the third-most assists (42) 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.
Numbers To Know
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The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 350-92 and have been particularly dominant in the first quarter of games. They have outscored their opponents by 96 (118-22) in the opening quarter this season.
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The Cardinals have the top scoring defense in Division III, allowing just 4.84 goals per game.
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The Cardinals rank second in the country in clearing percentage (90.5%) and scoring margin (+13.58).
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The Cardinals rank third in Division III in scoring offense (18.42 goals per game) and points per game (28.37). They stand fifth in assists per game (9.95).
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit www.empire8.com and YouTube
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