Women’s lacrosse surges past Marquette in NCAA tournament first round

The University of Richmond women’s lacrosse team defeated Marquette University 18-8 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill, NC May 12. 

After a one-goal lead at halftime turned into a seven-goal victory over the top-seeded University of Massachusetts minutewomen in the Atlantic 10 Championship May 7, the Spiders took the field against the Golden Eagles in the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019. 

“I think this is an amazing day for [UR] lacrosse,” UR head coach Anne Harrington said after the game. “I think it’s something that we’ve been close a couple times but really getting this first round win is really exciting.”

Though Marquette got the first goal of the game, UR wasted no time in evening things up with a goal of its own. In fact, the Spiders scored five unanswered goals to close out the first 15 minutes of regulation, putting UR ahead 5-1 through one quarter. 

The second quarter fared similarly, as Marquette started off with two goals and UR one at the 8:14 mark. However, like in the first quarter, the Spiders rattled off three unanswered goals to finish the half. 

The Spiders remained in the driver’s seat in the second half, outscoring the Golden Eagles 9-5 in the final 30 minutes of regulation and ultimately winning 18-8.

The last time UR qualified for the NCAA Tournament, the Spiders lost 19-6 against Loyola University Maryland. This time around, a first-round win gave the Spiders their first tournament win in program history.

“The team I think was prepared coming into this and wanting to make that history and wanting to do that for everybody that’s come into this program before and laid the groundwork to get to this point,” Harrington said. “So I think this was, yes, a special win for this team, but really they’re doing that for this program as a whole and everybody who’s played with Richmond on their uniform.” 

Senior midfielder Sophia DiCenso and senior midfielder Lindsey Frank each scored four goals in the game, leading the way for the Spiders. Senior attacker Arden Tierney and sophomore Colleen Quinn scored three goals apiece to complement the rest of the offensive push. Tierney also won

13 draw controls, bringing her tally to over 400 in her career at UR. 

Sophomore midfielder Hannah Custer picked up five ground balls and caused two turnovers. First-year defender Jordyn Harrison caused three turnovers, and senior goalie Emilie Bloyer totaled five saves in the contest. 

UR plays next against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at noon May 14. 

Contact sports editor Jimmy James at jimmy.james@richmond.edu.