Women's Lacrosse | 5/10/2026 4:03:00 PM
MIDDLEBURY, VT – The St. John Fisher University women's lacrosse team's 2026 season came to an end with a 17-4 loss to No. 1 Middlebury on Sunday afternoon in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament at Peter Kohn Field.
Seeking a fifth consecutive national championship, unbeaten Middlebury (19-0) will face Rowan or Scranton in the third round of the tournament next weekend. The Cardinals, who beat Western Connecticut State 14-7 in the first round on Saturday, ended the year 16-5 overall.
Senior attacker Dharma Makarowsky led the Cardinals with two points, tallying a goal and an assist. Senior midfielder Kaley Griffin and junior attackers Chelsea Lopata and Ellie Leisen accounted for Fisher's other goals.
Middlebury had two players – Caroline Adams and Skylar Lach – pile up six points. Lach had three goals and three helpers, and Adams scored two goals and set up four others. Parker Hanson, who had five points, buried a game-high four goals.
How It Happened
The Cardinals held the Panthers scoreless through the first five minutes of play, but once they broke through for the first time at the 9:34 mark, the goals stacked up in a hurry. Middlebury led 5-0 by the end of the first quarter and 10-0 by the 8:28 mark of the second. Lach scored three goals in that span, while Hanson and Siobhan Colin found the back of the net twice apiece.
Makarowsky and Griffin got the Cardinals on the board with tallies inside the final 6:30 of the first half.
The Panthers, who led 12-2 at halftime, added four goals to their cushion in the third quarter and one more early in the fourth. Lopata and Leisen fired home shots later in the final frame.
Game Notes
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Junior defender Leah Hilton led the Cardinals with three caused turnovers. She caused six turnovers over two NCAA Tournament games.
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The Cardinals surpassed 15 wins this season for the second consecutive year and seventh time in program history.