WICHITA, Kan. — Sometimes, the rankings committee gets it just right.
The top four seeds – No. 1 CSU San Marcos, No. 2 Boise State, No. 3 Providence and No. 4 Vermont Club – all secured spots Wednesday for the national semifinals of the WCLA Division II Championship by winning their respective pools. Each team won two games in round-robin play to earn the semifinal berth.
Top-seeded CSU San Marcos (14-0) defeated Concordia Irvine 12-6 in its opening game, then rallied for a 15-11 win over Missouri in game two. The Cougars trailed 7-5 at halftime of their afternoon game against Mizzou before pulling away in the fourth quarter.
Junior midfielder Annalise Peters netted all three of her goals in the final period to help keep CSUSM undefeated. Making their fourth overall appearance in the championship tournament, the Cougars reach the semifinals for the first time.
“We are very excited because this is the furthest we have ever gone,” said club president and junior defender Audray Street. “Being the number one seed didn’t really scare us, and probably served as motivation. We just trust in ourselves and believe that we can keep our composure, even in close games. We’re ready for what’s next.”
What’s next is a match-up with No. 4 seed Vermont, which is back in the final four for the second straight year. The Catamounts defeated their NWLL rival New Hampshire, 13-8, in their first game, behind four goals by freshman Katie Velie and three goals from senior Ella Malik. They then blitzed Denver Club, 19-12, to secure the semifinal berth from their pool.
Boise State’s path the semifinals was a little more challenging as the Broncos needed a second half rally to get past Florida Atlantic, 10-8, in the morning contest. They rebounded with a stronger showing in the afternoon, jumping out to a 6-1 lead and eventually defeating Florida Gulf Coast, 16-10.
Boise, 15-0 overall, joins CSU San Marcos as the only two undefeated teams in the nation. The Broncos earned their third straight WCLA tournament berth this season, but have advanced to the semifinal round for the first time.
Boise will meet Providence on Thursday as the Friars combined for 33 goals in two victories Wednesday. Providence upended Air Force, 17-11, in its first game and then downed SMU, 16-6, in game two to become the second NWLL team to reach the semis, joining Vermont.
“Getting to this point has been our goal from the beginning of the season,” said senior attacker Caroline Breslin. “Playing against Vermont and New Hampshire in the NWLL during the season helps prepare us for these games. Games against those teams are always our toughest games.”
Regardless of which team is the last one standing, Division II will crown a first-time champion in 2024 as none of the four teams has ever won the WCLA title.
USA Lacrosse is providing free video streaming of all D-I and D-II games throughout the tournament. Links for video streaming can be accessed at www.usalacrosse.com/wcla.
Gatorade, Enovis, Lacrosse Specialties, and Powell Lacrosse serve as official event sponsors for the 2024 USA Lacrosse WCLA Championships, with local support provided by Wichita Wind Surge, Chick-Fil-A Wichita East, Visit Wichita, Chicken N Pickle of Wichita, Angelo's Italian Catering, Tanganyika Wildlife Park, and Butler Creative TV.
