UNC, Denver, Florida, JMU and Loyola Advance in NCAA Tournament

All five seeded teams playing in the first round of the NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse tournament Friday advanced to host second-round games Sunday.

Stay posted here for updated results and recaps. All games on ESPN+. All times Eastern.

FIRST-ROUND RESULTS

Michigan 13, Central Michigan 6
Stony Brook 12, Penn State 8
(8) Loyola 11, Fairfield 6
(5) Denver 10, USC 7
Albany 16, Virginia 14
(4) North Carolina 16, Sacred Heart 5
Richmond 18, Marquette 8
Penn 13, UConn 8
(6) Florida 13, Jacksonville 7
Notre Dame 21, Mercer 6
(7) James Madison 12, Army 8
Maryland 11, Drexel 6
Johns Hopkins 19, UMass 8

SECOND-ROUND GAMES
SUNDAY, MAY 14 (ESPN+)

Michigan (12-7) at (1) Northwestern (17-1) - 12 p.m.
Stony Brook (15-3) at (8) Loyola (18-2) - 2 p.m.
Albany (13-6) at (5) Denver (20-0)  - 3 p.m.
Richmond (17-3) at (4) North Carolina (15-4) - 12 p.m.
Penn (14-4) at (3) Boston College (16-3) - 1 p.m.
Notre Dame (14-5) at (6) Florida (17-3) - 12 p.m.
Maryland (15-6) at (7) James Madison (18-2) - 1 p.m.
Johns Hopkins (9-8) at (2) Syracuse (16-2) - 3 p.m.

EVANSTON, ILL.

Michigan 13, Central Michigan 6 

Jill Smith scored four goals, as Michigan ran by in-state foe and Mid-American Conference champion Central Michigan 13-6. Julia Fetterolf tallied two goals and two assists, while Erin Garvey added a hat trick for Michigan.

Alexa Martel made eight saves for CMU, which was making its second straight NCAA tournament appearance after winning the MAC title as a third seed.

Michigan trailed briefly when Audrey Whiteside’s woman-up goal gave the Chippewas a 1-0 edge at 12:28 of the first. But Fetterolf evened the score at 1 just 40 seconds later. The goal kicked off a game-swinging 12-0 run, punctuated when Smith scored on a free position to give the Wolverines a 12-1 lead at 10:32 of the third quarter.

The win sets up an all-Big Ten clash between Michigan and (1) Northwestern on Sunday at noon. The two teams met in the second round of the NCAA tournament last year, a 15-12 Wildcats win, and last squared off in the Big Ten semifinal, which eventual champion Northwestern took 18-11.

BALTIMORE, MD.

(8) Loyola 11, Fairfield 6

Loyola started fast and held off a late Fairfield rally to advance to the second round with an 11-6 win Friday afternoon.

Jillian Wilson registered three goals, one assist and nine draw controls for Loyola. Chase Boyle had a four-goal day. Lauren Spence stopped 11 of the 17 shots she faced (66.7 percent). Libby Rowe and Ellie Grefenstette scored twice for Fairfield.

Anna Ruby got the Greyhounds on the board with a free position goal at the 12:21 mark of the first quarter. Elizabeth Talluto knotted it at 1 just over three minutes later. But Loyola got the next seven, with Sydni Black, Boyle and Wilson each striking twice and Georgia Latch scoring one goal. Wilson’s tally with 5:15 left in the first half capped the run that gave Loyola an 8-1 lead. 

Each team scored once in the third quarter — Rowe for Fairfield and Boyle for Loyola — as the defenses locked down. The Stags attempted to climb back, starting the quarter on a 4-1 run and cutting the deficit to 10-6 when Rowe scored with 5:55 left. But Loyola blanked Fairfield the rest of the way and closed the door on a Wilson goal from Ruby with 1:19 on the clock.

Stony Brook 12, Penn State 8

Known for its staunch zone defense and creative originality on offense, Stony Brook was on brand Friday. The Seawolves shut out Penn State for nearly the entirety of the fourth quarter and scored a pair of behind-the-back goals to pull away from the Nittany Lions in a 12-8 NCAA tournament first-round win at Loyola.

Ellie Masera and Kailyn Hart scored three goals apiece for Stony Brook, which will play host Loyola in the second round Sunday.

Kenny DeJohn with more from Ridley Athletic Complex.

DENVER, COLO.

(5) Denver 10, USC 7

Denver’s perfect season came perilously close to ending in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday.

But the Pioneers, seeded fifth and paired with Pac-12 champion USC despite going undefeated during the regular season, survived a furious Trojans comeback and advanced to the second round with a 10-7 victory at Peter Barton Stadium.

Denver’s suffocating zone defense, allowing just 5.84 goals per game and ranked first nationally, showed up at a most opportune time. USC’s last six possessions ended in turnovers.

The Pioneers (20-0) were untouchable for all but six minutes in the third quarter, when USC scored five unanswered goals off five Denver turnovers to tie the game at 6. The Trojans had a 13-2 advantage in shots during the period and all the momentum going into the fourth quarter.

A costly yellow card on Sloan Murphy gave Denver an opening, and it took full advantage. Julia Gilbert scored a pair of man-up goals to put the Pioneers back up by two.

Christina Gagnon deposited a free position to make it 8-7 with 10:41 remaining, but USC did not get off another shot for the rest of the game.

Gilbert punctuated the Denver win with a relentless ride, deflecting a USC pass, stripping Emma Wightman of the ball, picking it up and scoring her third goal of the fourth quarter.

Lauren Black also scored three goals for the Pioneers, who will host the winner of Albany and Virginia in a second-round game Sunday at 3 p.m. EDT.

Albany 16, Virginia 14

In the 13th game and the 10th hour of the first round of the NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse tournament, Albany delivered the most stunning result Friday.

Making their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2017 after winning a long sought-after America East championship, the Great Danes came back from a seven-goal deficit to defeat Virginia 16-14 at Peter Barton Stadium in Denver.

Sarah Falk starred again for Albany, scoring seven goals and leading the Great Danes (13-6) to just the second NCAA tournament victory in program history. They defeated Dartmouth in the first round in 2011, the last time they were the America East champion.

Albany will play fifth-seeded Denver in a second-round game Sunday (3 p.m. EDT, ESPN+).

Read more here about the Great Danes’ massive comeback and landmark win.

PHOTO BY ANDY MEAD

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.

(4) North Carolina 16, Sacred Heart 5

Junior Reilly Casey led all scorers with five goals and two assists, and North Carolina used a second-half surge to beat Sacred Heart 16-5.

Caitlyn Wurzburger posted two goals and a game-high three assists, and Marissa White tallied three goals.

The loss ends a historic year for Sacred Heart that saw the Patriots win the Northeast Conference and make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2010. 

Four Tar Heels scored in the first quarter, and UNC grabbed a 4-0 lead when Wurzburger took a feed from Casey and scored at 4:39 of the opening period.

The Pioneers didn’t roll over. Maggie Araneo and Shea Insinga scored the first two goals of the second frame to cut the deficit to 4-2. Back-to-back UNC goals from White and Casey put the margin back at four, but Lydia Werlau scored to cut it to 6-3 with under six minutes left in the first half. Nicole Humprhey scored on a Wurzburger assist, putting the halftime score at 7-3. 

The teams traded goals to start the third, with Wurzburger opening the scoring at 11:25 and Araneo netting her second at 9:03.

But the Tar Heels came alive thereafter. Alyssa Long scored to give UNC a 9-4 advantage with 4:42 left in the third quarter, sparking a 6-0 run punctuated by Casey tally to put the Heels in front 14-4 with 10:20 left in the fourth quarter.

Richmond 18, Marquette 8

For the first time in program history, Richmond is moving on to the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Atlantic 10 champion Spiders dominated from the first quarter on, cruising to an 18-8 win over Marquette. Sophia DiCenso and Lindsey Frank each finished with four goals and one assist. Colleen Quinn had three goals and two assists, and Arden Tierney posted three goals and one assist.

Richmond plays North Carolina in the second round on Sunday at noon. 

Shea Garcia tallied a game-high five for the Golden Eagles in Marquette’s first NCAA tournament appearance, and the loss ended a historic season that saw the Golden Eagles win a program-record 15 games. 

Lydia Foust opened the scoring when she dodged from up top, turned and buried a shot. But Richmond answered with a 5-0 run bookended by Frank goals, taking a 5-1 first-quarter lead.

Tess Osburn broke up the run when she bounced in a free position at 9:30 of the second quarter. But Richmond closed the half by scoring four of the last five goals.

All four Spiders goals came from DiCenso, who put them up 9-3 when she converted a last-second free position. DiCenso started the second half by assisting Quinn, and Tierney scored at 9:40 of the third quarter, expanding the margin to 11-3. 

The Golden Eagles weren’t done. As they did in the Big East semifinals a week ago, they attempted a comeback. Leigh Steiner buried a free-position shot at 8:19, and Garcia scored at 5:37 and 3:27, both on Foust assists, to get within 11-6.

Quinn found Grace Muldoon, who faked once and scored at 2:31. Muldoon took it herself less than a minute later, and Frank struck with 29 seconds left in the third to put the Spiders back in front by eight, 14-6.

Tierney’s low shot trickled past Bryanna Nixon at 13:36 of the fourth quarter, capping a 4-0 run and ballooning the margin to nine, 15-6. After Garcia put Marquette back on the board at 12:39, goals by Quinn and Ali Susskind got the clock running with 11:14 left.

CHESTNUT HILL, MASS.

Penn 13, UConn 8

Niki Miles broke Penn’s single-season goals mark and used a five-point day to lead the Quakers to a 13-8 win over UConn.

Miles tallied four goals and one assist. She now has 61 goals this season, passing the previous record set by Julie Heller in 1981 and tied by Tory Bensen in 2015.

Maria Themelis also scored four goals, and Kelly Van Hoesen stopped 10 of the 18 shots she faced.

The Quakers doubled up UConn in the circle, leading in draw controls 16-8. Natasha Gorriaran corralled a game-high seven draws. 

Landyn White made 15 saves for UConn. Morgan Carter (four goals) and Lia Laprise (three goals, one assist) led the Huskies’ offense. 

PHOTO COURTESY OF PENN ATHLETICS

Themelis tallied a first-half hat trick, but it was Miles who gave the Quakers a 5-4 lead when she sprinted through an open lane and beat White with 2:27 left in the half. The goal was the 59th of the season for Miles, setting the program record.

Not that getting by White was easy. The goalie made nine first-half saves, including back-to-back stops against Anna Brandt (one with her legs, one with her stick) with less than 90 seconds left to keep the halftime margin at one goal.

Paige Lipman opened the second-half scoring and put Penn’s lead at 7-5 when she converted a free position at the 13:48 mark of the third quarter. Morgan Carter kept the Huskies in the game, getting the next one. She later stymied a two-goal Penn run when she scored on an assist from Grace Coon and nine seconds left on the shot clock to bring UConn within 9-7 with 4:36 left in the third quarter.

But Penn rattled off the next three goals. Julia Chai scored unassisted at the 2:19 mark. Gorriaran won the ensuing draw, and Miles scored with 1:40 remaining in the third. It was rinse, wash and repeat on the next possession, with Gorriaran getting another draw and Miles extending Penn’s lead to five, 12-7, with three seconds left.

Neither team scored again until the game’s waning moments, when Brandt wove through the UConn defense and gave Penn a 13-7 advantage with 1:15 to play. Laprise scored with 19 seconds remaining, the Huskies’ first goal since 4:36 of the third quarter.

Penn advances to play third-seeded Boston College in the second round Sunday (1 p.m. EDT).

GAINESVILLE, FLA.

(6) Florida 13, Jacksonville 7

Danielle Pavinelli poured in five goals and one assis and Sarah Reznick made 17 stops to lead Florida to a 13-7 win over Jacksonville.

Florida attacker Emma LoPinto added two goals and three assists. Sarah Elms and Grace Hobson each tallied two goals and one assist for Jacksonville. 

Florida scored the last four goals of the second quarter, two of which came from LoPinto, for a 7-2 halftime advantage. Pavinelli opened the third quarter with a goal from LoPinto that capped a 5-0 run and put Florida in front 8-2. 

But the Dolphins went on a run of their own, starting with a Brianna Samuels score at 11:31 of the third quarter. Elms’ free positions at 4:37 and 4:08 closed the score to 8-5, and Grace Hobson scored three minutes later to make it a two-goal game, 8-6. 

But Florida — or, rather, Pavinelli — seized momentum in the final minute of the third quarter. Pavinelli scored on a feed from Maggi Hall with 19 seconds left and then assisted an Emily Diaz tally 13 seconds later, widening the gap to 10-6 heading into the final frame.

Pavinelli kept Florida rolling, scoring 47 seconds into the fourth quarter. And again at the 10:35 mark. And again, with 8:24 left, as Florida’s lead increased to 13-6.

Notre Dame 21, Mercer 6

In the most lopsided first-round result, Notre Dame cruised to a 21-6 victory over Big South champion Mercer. The Fighting Irish will play host Florida a second-round game Sunday.

Notre Dame scored the first 10 goals of the game and never looked back, putting 24 of 35 shots on goal and shooting 60 percent.

Kasey Choma led the onslaught with six goals and four assists. Jackie Wolak also scored six goals.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JMU ATHLETICS

HARRISONBURG, VA.

(7) James Madison 12, Army 8

Seventh-seeded James Madison got four goals and one assist from Tewaaraton Award finalist Isabella Peterson, advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament with a 12-8 first-round win over Army.

Taylor Marchetti added three goals for James Madison.

Julia Gorajek (three goals, one assist) and Julia Franzoni (three goals) led the Army offense and fueled a late rally that fell short. The Black Knights’ season ends with a first-ever NCAA tournament appearance and a program-best 15 wins.

The Dukes struck first when Marchetti fired a shot that was deflected into the net at 13:43. It was Marchetti again less than two minutes later. Brianna Mennella found her cutting toward the net, and Marchetti buried a hard shot in the top-right corner for a 2-0 JMU lead.

Army rebounded, pushing the pace in transition after a Lily Boswell turnover. Brigid Duffy scooped the ground ball, ran it herself for the clear and found Gorajek, who powered a shot by Kat Buchanan from the left side of the arc.

James Madison scored four of the next five, with two goals coming from Peterson, and took a 6-2 lead when Tai Jankowski converted a free position with less than six minutes left in the first half. But tallies from Franzoni and Kathleen Sullivan closed Army’s halftime deficit to two.

Peterson scored on an assist from Maddie Epke just over two minutes into the third quarter to put JMU ahead 7-4. The offenses went stale for the next eight minutes, missing a combined six shots, with only one going on net (a Madeline Lenkart free position, which Buchanan saved).

After Peterson missed wide with 7:29 left in the stanza, Army cleared the ball and called timeout. The Black Knights worked the ball around, but Buchanan intercepted an errant Duffy pass.

James Madison broke through on the other end when Lizzy Fox dodged by Marissa Massey and scored low with 4:47 remaining in the frame. Marchetti’s third of the day came on a free position that extended the margin to five with 3:14 remaining in the third quarter.

Duffy appeared to score with less than 90 seconds on the clock, barreling through the Dukes’ defense. But she was called for a crease violation, and Army ended the third quarter without a goal.

In the fourth quarter, Epke circled the cease and scored to put JMU in front 10-4 with 12:45 left.

Duffy got Army on the board in the second half when she netted her first goal of the day at the 10:33 mark. But Peterson fed Katelyn Morgan in front at 8:46, giving James Madison its six-goal cushion back.

Epke’s shovel shot gave the Dukes their largest lead of the day, putting them ahead 12-5 and prompting an Army timeout with 6:50 left. 

The Black Knights scored the game’s final three goals, getting two tallies from Gorajek and a free position from Franzoni, but couldn’t claw all the way back.

Maryland 11, Drexel 6

Seven different Terps found the back of the cage in Maryland’s 11-6 win over Drexel Friday.

The box score epitomized balanced scoring — no Terp tallied more than two goals, and even defender Abby Bosco put one in.

Chrissy Thomas tallied a game-high four points on two goals and two assists, and Libby May added two goals and one assist.

Maryland goalie Emily Sterling stopped nine shots. Jenika Cuocco made 12 saves for Drexel, an at-large bid from the CAA.

Sterling stopped seven of the nine first-half shots she faced, and the Terps employed a balanced attack that featured six different goal scorers to jet out to an 8-2 lead through 30 minutes.

Neither team scored in the third quarter until Grace Harding found Corinne Bednarik for a goal at 6:36. But defender Bosco made things fun, going coast-to-coast for her first goal of the season and a 9-3 Maryland lead with 4:55 left in the frame. Katie Sikes scored with 1:53 on the clock to push the advantage 10-3 heading into the fourth quarter.

Drexel kept it interesting, opening the fourth quarter with goals from Hayleigh Simpson, Bednarik and Harding to slice the deficit to 10-6 with 5:32 left. But Thomas iced the game with a goal at 4:11, and the Terps held Drexel scoreless for the remainder of the game. 

Maryland enters Sunday’s second-round matchup with seventh-seeded James Madison as the underdog — a rarity for the sport’s most decorated program. The Dukes edged Maryland 8-7 on March 1 at home.

PHOTO BY RICH BARNES

SYRACUSE, N.Y.

Johns Hopkins 19, UMass 8

Johns Hopkins scored six unanswered goals in the first quarter and cruised to a 19-8 win over UMass in an NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse tournament first-round game Friday at Syracuse.

Midfielders Ashley Mackin and Ava Angello and attacker Campbell Case scored four goals apiece for the Blue Jays (9-8), who will play second-seeded Syracuse in a second-round game Sunday at 3 p.m. EDT.

First-year Hopkins head coach Tim McCormack brought an up-tempo, pick-heavy offense with him from Arizona State, where he was the two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year. The style was on full display against his alma mater, UMass, which countered with an aggressive, physical defense pressing out on ball carriers.

More than half of the Blue Jays’ goals were assisted. They shot nearly 50 percent, operating with efficiency UMass could not match with its 20 turnovers and six yellow cards. The teams combined for 93 fouls.

Charlotte Wilmoth scored four goals for UMass (16-3), which also has a first-year head coach in Jana Drummond.

Both Hopkins and UMass qualified for the NCAA tournament as at-large selections.