STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (17-3) will face Stevens Institute of Technology (15-4) in an NCAA DIII Women's Lacrosse Tournament first-round contest on Saturday, May 9 at 1:00 PM, at Pratt Field at Lehrman Stadium on the campus of Amherst College.
GAME COVERAGE: LIVE STATS | VIDEO
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Saint Joseph's will appear in the NCAA DIII Tournament for the third time in program history — and first since 2022 — after defeating Emmanuel College, 12-3, in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship last Saturday.
Stevens claimed its fifth consecutive Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom Championship with a pair of lopsided tournament victories, including a 25-8 win over DeSales University in Saturday's title game.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The winner of the Saint Joseph's/Stevens matchup will face host Amherst College on Sunday at 1:00 PM.
HOW THEY STACK UP
Saint Joseph's ranks 17th nationally in assists per game (8.60), 20th in scoring defense (6.70), 21st in caused turnovers per game (13.45) and ground balls per game (24.15), 23rd in points per game (23.10), and 25th in scoring margin (7.80) and shots on goal per game (24.55). The Monks also have the eighth-best winning percentage (.850) in NCAA DIII.
Stevens ranks in the top 10 in NCAA DIII in six categories, including draw control percentage (.714, 2nd), draw controls per game (17.32, 3rd), assists per game (9.37, 6th), scoring margin (9.84, 6th), clearing percentage (.889, 8th), and points per game (25.63, 10th). The Ducks are also 12th in scoring offense (16.26), 16th in shots on goal per game (25.37), and 17th in scoring defense (6.42).
MEET THE COACHES
Saint Joseph's: Lydia Dexter '23 (2nd Season, 29-9, .763)
Stevens: Maddie Buechli (3rd Season, 32-9, .780)
PLAYERS TO WATCH
The Saint Joseph's offense is led by senior Celia Melanson, who has totaled 104 points on 21 goals and 83 assists while leading the nation in assists per game (4.15). Sophomore Ella Highbarger has scored 65 goals with 77 points, while junior Taylor Dumond has added 65 goals and 69 points. Sophomores Zoey Lailer (26 goals, 46 points) and Kiley Webber (30 goals, 8 assists) provide additional production.
In the possession game, sophomore Ava Molineaux leads the Monks with 92 draw controls, 77 ground balls, and 54 caused turnovers. Highbarger has contributed 52 draw controls, 39 ground balls, and 31 caused turnovers, while Dumond has added 53 draw controls and 44 ground balls. Defensively, senior Alexis Copp has totaled 22 ground balls, 17 caused turnovers, and 15 draw controls, and freshman Kya Duprey has added 19 caused turnovers.
In goal, junior Julia Price has logged 759:01 with 71 saves, a 6.40 goals-against average, and a 13-2 record.
Alina Friz leads the Stevens offense with 60 goals, 38 assists, and 98 points, while Stephanie Sellitto has netted 60 goals with 17 assists and Maddie Hogan has scored 54 goals with 22 assists. Abby O'Brien (29 goals, 35 assists) and Alison Murray (37 goals, 6 assists) round out the Ducks' top offensive players.
Sellitto controls the possession game for the Ducks with 158 draw controls, 61 ground balls, and 22 caused turnovers and ranks sixth in NCAA DIII with 8.32 draw controls per game. Lauren Sullivan has notched 73 draw controls, 36 ground balls, and 20 caused turnovers, while Lindsay Esposito has produced 60 draw controls, 18 ground balls, and 15 caused turnovers.
The Ducks have used three goalkeepers extensively this spring, with multiple keepers appearing in all but five contests. Kailyn Vautour has started 14 of the team's 19 games and owns a 6.73 GAA with a .465 save percentage and 47 saves over 481:33 minutes. Emma Guzowski has appeared in 15 games with four starts, posting a 6.33 GAA with a .516 save percentage and 32 saves in 323:49 minutes, while Felicity Heilferty has played in 13 games with one start and has recorded a 6.30 GAA, a .404 save percentage, and 23 saves over 284:27 minutes.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's NCAA Tournament contest will be the first-ever meeting between the Saint Joseph's and Stevens women's lacrosse programs.
COMMON OPPONENTS
The Monks and Ducks do not have any common opponents this spring.
