Chris Sailer’s 36th, and final, season as Princeton’s women’s lacrosse coach has been an appropriate sendoff. The Tigers beat Yale 19-9 on Sunday to secure her 15th Ivy League championship and off to the NCAA tournament for the 27th time.
But the Hall of Fame coach has never made it about herself and this year’s Tiger team has plenty of talent looking to make a run in Sailer’s final NCAA tournament.
Senior Kyla Sears headlines that list and become Princeton’s career goals leader with a diving effort in the first half.
— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) May 8, 2022
Kyla Sears sure knows how to set a record in style. A diving effort for her 199th career goal makes Sears @princetonwlax’s all-time leader. pic.twitter.com/ueheEcWE3e
Sears finished the day with four goals to run her career record to 202 goals in just three and a half season. Sophomore Grace Tauckus also scored four times for Princeton and added three assists for a game-high seven points. A third four-goal scorer was freshman McKenzie Blake.
Defensive star Marge Donovan had 12 draw control as the Tigers won the category 21-10 and controlled possession in a game they trailed in only the opening minutes.
Drexel Wins First CAA Title
Led by first-year head coach Kim Hillier, Drexel withstood a late Towson rally and beat the Tigers 11-10 in overtime to claim its first Colonial Athletic Association championship. Allison Drake scored the game-winning goal.
BREATHING FIRE
— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) May 8, 2022
Allison Drake’s overtime goal sends @DrexelWLax past Towson 11-10 to win the @CAASports crown.
Drexel is headed back to the NCAA tourney. pic.twitter.com/wNiQ8aLbIW
Lucy Schneidereith, the CAA Tournament MVP, scored four goals, including a goal in the closing seconds of the third quarter that gave the Dragons a 10-8 lead.
Towson scored the only two goals of the fourth quarter, including Kerri Thornton’s goal with 2:31 remaining that sent the game to overtime.
Drexel’s Karson Harris won the draw to begin overtime and Drake cashed home the game-winner 47 seconds into the period.
Maryland Rolls After Early Scare
Cassidy Spilis’ goal late in the second quarter gave Rutgers a 7-5 lead over Maryland in the Big Ten championship game, but the Terps took over from there in an 18-8 victory.
Aurora Cordingly and Libby May scored the final two goals of the half to tie the game at 7 at the break and Maryland then blitzed Rutgers in the third quarter, outscoring the Scarlet Knights 8-0. Maryland then scored the first two goals of the fourth quarter to stretch its scoring run to 12 straight goals.
May had a game-high five goals to go along with two assists for the Terps while Cordingley had a game-high nine points (4g, 5a). Hannah Leubecker scored four times.
BACK ON TOP@MarylandWLax beats Rutgers 18-8 to reclaim the @bigten title.
— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) May 8, 2022
Win No. at Maryland for head coach Cathy Reese. pic.twitter.com/JGprlosJpo
The win was the 300th for Maryland head coach Cathy Reese since becoming the head coach of her alma mater.
Taralyn Naslonski scored three times for Rutgers, all of them coming in the first quarter to help the Scarlet Knights to the strong start.
New League, Same Result for Mercer
Mercer’s first season in the Big South Conference ended the same way its last season in the Southern Conference ended — with a conference title.
BEAR-Y TOUGH
— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) May 8, 2022
New conference. Same result.@MercerWLAX downs top-seeded High Point 16-13 to win the @BigSouthSports championship in its first season in the league. pic.twitter.com/fhOxQ9wX4U
The Bears upset top-seeded High Point 16-13, spoiling a record day for High Point’s Abby Hormes. Hormes scored two goals, giving her 103 for the season to break Charlotte North’s NCAA Division I women’s single season record.
Mercer’s defense never let High Point’s high-powered offense get going. The Panthers scored 25 goals in a semifinal win over Gardner-Webb on Friday, but on Sunday they were unable to string consecutive goals together until the fourth quarter after Mercer had built up a seven-goal lead.
Lyndsey Lewis (5g, 1a), Hailey Rhatigan (2g, 5a) and Chloe Schaeffer (3g, 4a) combined for 20 points for Mercer and that trio had either the goal, the assist or both in 14 of Mercer’s 16 goals in the game.
High Point’s Mena Loescher had four goals and three assists, giving her 18 points in two Big South tournament games.
Fairfield Wins Fourth Straight MAAC Title
Fourth-seeded Fairfield came from behind to beat top-seeded Monmouth 14-11 to claim its fourth straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship. The Stags trailed by as many as three goals in the game and were down 9-7 early in the third quarter before a four-goal run turned the tide.
Libby Rowe scored the final three goals of that run, including the go-ahead goal, and finished with a team-high five goals.
MAKE IT FOUR@StagsWomensLax wins it’s fourth straight @MAACSports championship.
— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) May 8, 2022
Libby Rowe scores five for Fairfield, including this go-ahead goal in the fourth quarter. pic.twitter.com/bpMtkE73rT
Scoreboard
Conference Championship Games
Big South: Mercer defeated High Point, 16-13
Big Ten: Maryland defeated Rutgers, 18-8
CAA: Drexel defeated Towson, 11-10 (OT)
MAAC: Fairfield defeated Monmouth, 14-11
Ivy: Princeton defeated Yale, 19-9