The first NCAA lacrosse national champion of the 2022 season will be crowned this weekend, as the Division II women’s tournament concludes with the semifinals and championship game in St. Charles, Missouri. The chase begins Friday evening with the national semifinals.
No. 1 East Stroudsburg (19-1) vs. No. 4 Queens (21-0), 5 p.m. Eastern
No. 2 Adelphi (18-2) vs. No. 3 UIndy (20-1), 8 p.m. Eastern
Friday’s semifinal winners meet in Sunday’s championship game at 3 p.m. Eastern.
Here are five things to know to help you prepare for the first championship weekend of the NCAA lacrosse season.
1. Cinderella is not attending this party.
The four teams that advanced to the national semifinals are all Division II heavyweights, including first-time semifinalist UIndy. The team records alone (combined 78-4) should provide ample evidence of how dominant these teams have been in 2022, but history also provides additional insight.
Adelphi is the most decorated team in D-II women’s history, having won nine NCAA titles, with the last coming in 2019. The Panthers are looking for their fourth championship during coach Pat McCabe’s tenure.
Queens finished as the national runner-up in 2021 and has been ranked No. 1 in Nike/USA Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20 poll since March 21. The Royals are back in the final four for the third straight season (not including the cancelled 2020 campaign). East Stroudsburg also returns to the national semifinals for second straight season and third time in four years.
And even UIndy, making its first semifinal appearance, has chops, having been ranked No. 2 in the national poll for much of the season. The Greyhounds have been knocking on this door for a while, having compiled a cumulative 75-10 record over the past five seasons.
2. These teams are well acquainted.
Both of Friday’s games are rematches. The opening game between East Stroudsburg and Queens is a rerun of last year’s semifinal, which Queens won 17-14 to earn its first championship game appearance. Despite the loss, that game was also a national debut of sorts for ESU’s standout freshman Emily Mitarotonda, who scored a career-high six goals to lead the Warriors.
Friday’s second game is a rematch of a game from March 16, won by Adelphi 7-5. UIndy has won 15-straight games since that lone loss of the 2022 season, which was also its lowest scoring game since 2019. Adelphi limited the Greyhounds to just one goal in the second half of that game, with 17 caused turnovers.
3. There’s a lot of offensive firepower on these teams.
Combined, the four semifinalists feature seven of the top 14 individual scorers in the nation this year, including five players with at least 100 points scored. Queens’ Rebecca Kinsley, a graduate transfer from Stony Brook, leads the nation with 131 points (70 goals, 61 assists). Her senior teammate, Kyleigh Masteran, is third nationally in total points with 113 and leads the country with 90 goals scored. Senior Kaitlyn Hardin has 97 points on the year.
UIndy’s All-American Abigail Lagos also has 113 points on the year and is third nationally with 88 goals scored. With 209 career goals, Lagos also became UIndy’s all-time goal scoring leader in 2022. ESU has three scorers among the national leaders in Gianna LeDuc (103 points), Emily Mitarotonda (101 points) and Kiki Fitzpatrick (99 points).
4. The defenses aren’t too shabby either.
Not to be overlooked, all four teams rank among the national leaders in scoring defense this year. Ultimately, defense wins championships, right? UIndy has the stingiest defense in the land, allowing just 5.33 goals per game. Queens ranks second (5.76), Adelphi is third (6.15) and ESU is sixth (6.40) in scoring defense. All four teams also rank among the top 20 in the country in caused turnovers.
Individually, Adelphi senior goalie Emma Lemanski leads the nation with a 6.11 goals against average, and ESU’s McKenzie Gaghan ranks third (7.09 GAA). Two great strategic battles await between potent offenses and stellar defenses in both semifinal games.
5. History could be made.
As the only undefeated team remaining, Queens can achieve something that hasn’t happened in eight years — an undefeated national championship. The last undefeated D-II champion was Adelphi, which completed a 22-0 campaign in 2014 with a 7-5 victory over Lock Haven. This is also Queens’ last chance to claim a title at this level, as the Royals are reclassifying to Division I, effective July 1.
As noted earlier, Adelphi will be trying to capture its 10th national championship, joining a small and elite group of men’s and women’s lacrosse programs, at all levels, that have reached double-digits in the number of trophies collected. A championship by East Stroudsburg or UIndy would be a historic first for either school.