Ten teams from Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia made the field of the 2018 Division I Women’s Lacrosse Championship, but only three made it to the quarterfinals.
Maryland cruises
No. 1 Maryland, the defending champions, had a bye in the first round and drew Denver in Sunday’s second round. After a slow start, the Terrapins scored 11 goals in the second half on their way to a dominant 15-4 win. Senior Megan Whittle, a team captain and women’s Tewaaraton Award finalist, led with eight points (six goals, two assists).
Navy on a roll again
Last year, the Navy women’s lacrosse team made a surprise run to the Final Four. This season is shaping up in a similar way. After the Midshipmen beat Johns Hopkins 16-9 in the opening round, they faced No. 8 seed Loyola for the third time this year.
Navy lost to its Patriot League rivals in the regular season but beat them in the conference championship game, mirroring how 2017 played out. In this grudge match, the Midshipmen upset Loyola 19-15. Twin sisters Jenna and Julia Collins combined for nine goals and two assists.
Navy will face Maryland in the quarterfinals Saturday, May 19 in College Park. Navy coach Cindy Timchal will face off against the school she coached to seven straight national titles from 1995 to 2001.
James Madison outlasts Virginia
Virginia handled Stanford in the first round and won 12-3, but ran into No. 3 seed James Madison in the second round. Although Cavalier attacker Avery Shoemaker scored four goals on four shots and Sammy Mueller adding four goals, the Dukes got four goals apiece from Haley Warden and Kristen Gaudian and James Madison won a tight game, 15-12.
James Madison will face No. 6 Florida in the quarterfinals.
Out of the running
High-scoring Northwestern beat two area teams on its way to the quarters. The Wildcats topped Richmond 24-18 in the first round and then upset No. 7 Towson 21-17 Sunday.
In the bottom half of that region of the bracket, Tristan McGinley and Paige Petty scored four goals apiece for Virginia Tech, which stopped a second-half comeback by Georgetown in the first round to win 13-10. But the Hokies fell to No. 2 North Carolina 17-8 Sunday.
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