Round Rock, Texas — There was very little drama on day one of the 2022 WCLA Division II Championship Tournament, with most of the favored teams comfortably advancing into Thursday’s quarterfinal round. The average margin of victory among the seven games played was 11 goals.
With No. 1 seed Utah Valley enjoying a first round bye, the other top seeds made quick work of their opening day opponents. No. 2 seed Loyola Maryland, aiming for its third straight national championship, built an 11-1 halftime lead and cruised past No. 15 seed Air Force, 17-4. As they have done for most of the season, the Greyhounds shared the wealth as they finished with 11 different players in the scoring column.
“There is not one girl on this roster that we wouldn’t trust with the ball in their hands,” senior captain Erin Haverty. “The majority of our goals come from assists. Playing a team game is what we do best and we’re excited to continue doing it on the big stage.”
No. 3 seed Grand Valley State Club also displayed its prowess with a dominating 15-4 win over No. 14 Denver Club. Three goals by senior attacker Katherine Grassi led the way for the Lakers, who extended their winning streak to nine games. Their only loss this season came against Division I Michigan State.
No. 5 seed St. Thomas made short work of No. 12 UC Santa Cruz, winning 19-4. Three goals apiece by both Rachel Peterson and Kelly Coyne led the barrage. The Tommies defense also posted their 11th game of the season in which they held the opponent to five goals or less.
The only surprise among the top seeds was No. 4 UC San Diego, which arrived in Texas with a 14-1 record but got throttled by No. 13 Vermont Club, 21-12. Eleven different players found the back of the net for the Catamounts, with attackers Maggie Calzaretta and Mairead Cassidy leading the way with three goals each.
It was a good day all around for the New England Women’s Lacrosse League as two other league members joined Vermont in the winner’s bracket. No. 6 seed New Hampshire Club dominated Portland, 13-2, with Allison Kelley scoring three goals to pace the offense. And No. 8 seed Providence beat No. 9 Oakland 18-5 to earn a date against No. 1 Utah Valley on Thursday.
“We executed really well at both ends of the field today, and we hope to do the same tomorrow against Utah Valley,” said Providence coach Kelly Hartnett. “We know that there are a lot of good teams here and we hope to be ready and focused again tomorrow against one of the best.”
The closest game of the day was one of the last of the day, with No. 10 Boise State making the most of its first-ever appearance in the tournament with a 14-9 win over No. 7 Cal State San Marcos. Five goals from junior midfielder Saylor Leising and 12 saves by junior goalie Nikee Brumbaugh led the Broncos.
Thursday’s Division II Quarterfinal Schedule
(all games starting at 1 p.m. CT)
No. 1 Utah Valley (11-1) vs. No. 8 Providence (7-2)
No. 2 Loyola Maryland Club (11-1) vs. Boise State (7-2)
No. 3 Grand Valley State Club (11-1) vs. No. 6 New Hampshire Club (8-1)
No. 5 St. Thomas (13-1) vs. No. 13 Vermont Club (7-3)