NCAA RELEASE | INTERACTIVE BRACKET
BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott women's lacrosse team will travel to Ewing Township, New Jersey this Saturday (May 12) to play No. 16 nationally ranked William Smith in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Gulls and William Smith will faceoff on the campus of The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) at a time to be determined later.
Endicott (14-3) gained entry into this year's NCAA Tournament after defeating Roger Williams, 11-9, in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship last weekend. The Gulls will make their second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament this coming Saturday. Last year, Endicott fell to Farmingdale State, 16-14, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, also held at TCNJ.
Meanwhile, No. 16 nationally ranked William Smith (14-4) also earned an automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament after winning its third straight Liberty League crown over Ithaca, 15-10. In last year's NCAA Tournament, William Smith advanced to the quarterfinal round after claiming victories over Westfield State (15-1) and Colorado College (18-13). William Smith's NCAA Tournament run ended against No. 2 Washington and Lee University by a 7-6 (overtime) score.
The Gulls and the Heron will meet for the first time ever this Saturday in the NCAA Tournament. Both teams also did not play a common opponent this season.
The winner of Saturday's First Round game will advance to play host school No. 1 TCNJ in the Second Round on Sunday, May 13. TCNJ won the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) automatic qualifier. Last season's national championship runner-up went 6-0 (17-2 overall) in league play this year earning the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. The Lions defeated Rowan in the NJAC Championship, 20-9, to claim their eighth league title in a row.
The winner of Sunday's Second Round game will advance to one of four regional sites Saturday and Sunday, May 19-20. Winners of the four regionals will advance to the semifinals and final, which take place Saturday and Sunday, May 26-27 at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Va. The Old Dominion Athletic Conference and the City of Salem will serve as hosts for the championship.
(Portions of this release courtesy of NCAA.com / CCC Communications Office)
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(Photo Credit - Nick Grace)