The St. Mary’s College of Maryland women’s lacrosse team dominated the championship game of the 2023 United East Women’s Lacrosse Championship Tournament on Saturday, May 6, winning their second straight title. The top-seeded Seahawks (11-7) beat the No. 2 seed SUNY Morrisville (8-9) 23-6, clinching the league’s automatic qualifying bid to the 2023 NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Championship Tournament.
Sophomore attacker Hailey Betch (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) led the Seahawks, earning the Tournament MVP award after tallying eight points in the game. St. Mary’s opened strong, scoring seven goals in the first quarter, and added two more in the second to lead 9-0 with just over 13 minutes left in the first half. Morrisville finally got on the board with back-to-back goals from Maddie Baum and Alexa Ringgold with 9:45 to go in the half. The Seahawks headed into halftime with a 14-3 lead and a running clock.
St. Mary’s kept up the pressure in the second half, growing their lead to 23-4, including four woman-up goals, with under five minutes remaining in the game. The Seahawks outshot Morrisville 34-13 and posted a +12-turnover margin, dominating in ground balls with a 23-13 advantage. Rachael Freeman (Baltimore, Md./Friends) led the team with four loose ball pickups.
St. Mary’s captain Lily Davison (Phoenix, Md./Dulaney) tied her career-high with five goals, while first-year attacker Katelin Scala (Catonsville, Md./Mount de Sales) matched her season- and career-best seven points with a goal and a season- and career-high six assists. Erin Carmody (Olney, Md./Sherwood) equaled her career-high four goals, while Betch added four goals and four assists.
Junior goalie Maddie Clemmer (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) made three saves and scooped up three ground balls in her 11th win of the season. Morrisville’s Rebecca Thomas turned away seven shots and scooped up four ground balls to lead the Mustangs.
The Seahawks will learn who they play next on Monday, May 8, at 10:30 a.m. during the NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Selection Show on NCAA.com. St. Mary’s is scheduled to face their first opponent in the NCAA Tournament First Round on May 13.