EWING, N.J. – Attackers Lucy Gussio (Baldwin, Md./Notre Dame Prep) and Hailey Betch (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) each scored four to lead the St. Mary’s College of Maryland women’s lacrosse team to a victory in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Championship Tournament on a rainy Saturday afternoon on the campus of The College of New Jersey (TCNJ).
St. Mary’s College (13-5) notched a 19-9 triumph over Framingham State University (11-8) for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2008. The Seahawks are competing in the program’s ninth NCAA postseason action and first since 2016.
The Seahawks will now face No. 7 TCNJ in second-round action tomorrow (May 15) at 1:00 p.m. at the TCNJ Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex. Tomorrow will mark the eighth meeting between the two teams, and first since 2010, with the Lions holding a 7-0 record over St. Mary’s.
How It Happened
- The Seahawks jumped out to a 5-0 lead, with Gussio leading the way with two back-to-back goals.
- Framingham State scored two of the next three goals to get on the board finally and cut the deficit to 6-2 with 4:15 remaining in the first quarter.
- St. Mary’s opened the second period with five straight to post a nine-goal lead with 8:30 to go in the first half.
- The Rams then scored a pair of goals in a 10-second span to trim the Seahawk advantage to 11-4 with less than six minutes left.
- St. Mary’s ended the second frame on a 4-1 run to set a running clock in motion and take a 10-goal lead into halftime (15-5).
- Each side scored one goal in the third as each team committed seven turnovers amid a downpour.
- The game scoring was once again equal in the final period with Framingham scoring three and the Seahawks tallying three as well.
Inside the Box Score
- St. Mary’s outshot the Rams, 40-25, while FSU owned a 21-17 margin in ground balls.
- The Seahawks won the battle in the circle with a 19-13 edge in draw controls as Betch collected a game-best six draws.
- Turnovers were nearly equal as both sides contended with sloppy conditions. Framingham finished the game with 22 turnovers while the Seahawks had 21.
Player Highlights
- Junior attacker Lily Davison (Phoenix, Md./Dulaney) put up two goals and two assists while sophomore midfielder MC Mortimer (Baltimore, Md./Friends) contributed a goal and three helpers.
- Sophomore defender Rachael Freeman (Baltimore, Md./Friends) led the Seahawk defense with five ground balls and two caused turnovers.
- In the game, the sophomore goalie Maddie Clemmer (Middletown, Md./Middletown) made 10 saves for a .526 save percentage.
- Alexis Burleigh produced nine stops for the Rams while Rachel Erickson led the offense with four goals as Framingham State’s season ended.
Up Next for the Seahawks
- May 15 at TCNJ (15-2) – Ewing, N.J./TCNJ Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex – 2 PM