NCAA Bracket
Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg and Haverford each notched double-digit victories in the first round of the NCAA Division III women's lacrosse tournament on Saturday afternoon. This marks the second year in a row that a trio of CC squads will compete in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
In Hartford, Conn., F&M saw 11 different players rattle the back of the cage as it defeated Neumann by a 21-4 score during the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Diplomats scored the first 10 goals of Saturday's opening round game and led by double digits the entire second half. With the victory, F&M advances to Sunday's regional final where host Trinity (Conn.) awaits. The Bantams, who finished No. 9 in the final NCAA Power Index, had a first round bye on Saturday. That second round contest is set for a 1 p.m. start.
Devyn Crone, Annie Marshall and Lauren Pittman all had hat tricks in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, with Crone's four tallies pacing the attack. Crone and Marshall also dished out three assists to lead the team in points. F&M finished the contest with a 47-19 advantage in shots and 33-9 edge in shots on goal.
In Cambridge, Mass., Gettysburg jumped out to a 12-0 first-quarter lead to defeat Husson 26-4 in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Div. III women's lacrosse championship tournament at MIT. Julia Daly highlighted a record-setting day for the Bullets, registering five points the opening frame to give her 361 for her career and pass Jordan Basso '24 as the program's all-time leader. Daly finished the day with four goals and one assist. Grace Battle corralled 18 draw controls for a single-game program and Centennial Conference record. The previous best by a Bullet was Steph Colson, who had 14 in a second-round NCAA game against Westfield State on May 13, 2018. The previous conference mark was 17.
Gettysburg returns to action in the second round at MIT on Sunday. Game time is 1 p.m.
In Medford, Mass., Haverford (14-6) secured its second NCAA Tournament victory in program history with an emphatic 19-9 victory over Endicott (15-5) on Saturday at Bello Field on the campus of Tufts. The Fords used a 10-2 advantage in the second half to pull away from the Gulls, triggering running clock in the final seconds of the NCAA First Round contest.
The afternoon belonged to senior Brooke Epstein, who cemented her legacy as one of the greatest to ever play for the program. Epstein led all scorers with a season-best seven points on six goals and one assist. Her performance was punctuated by a successful free-position goal in the third quarter l to collect her 285th career point, officially moving her past Lindsey Carey Bean '00 to become Haverford's all-time career points leader. By the final whistle, Epstein pushed the new record to 289 points. Epstein now sits at 216 career goals, just one shy of Carey Bean's record of 217 as she will look to add the goals record to her illustrious career tomorrow.
Bella Gattuso, Sophie Jaffe and Mikelle Smith each provided a balanced attack with four goals apiece. Finley Jordan (3 caused turnovers) and Smith (two) helped disrupt the Endicott attack, as the Gulls struggled to get consistent looks on frame.
Haverford will now face off with the host No. 4 Tufts Jumbos (14-3) on Saturday at 1 p.m.
