NEW YORK – The field for the 2017 BIG EAST Women’s Lacrosse Championship presented by Jeep has been set, as No. 3/3 Florida, No. 13/13 Denver, NR/RV Temple and Georgetown have all clinched spots in the conference postseason tournament. The BIG EAST Championship is set for May 4 and 6 at Villanova Stadium in Villanova, Pa. With two games remaining on the conference calendar, seeding has not yet been determined.
The reigning champion Gators are the current conference leader at 7-0, topping Butler today, 22-2, for their fifth consecutive win. Florida has won both BIG EAST Championships since joining the league prior to the 2015 campaign. The Gators conclude the regular season against Temple (April 22) and Georgetown (April 29).
In its first season of BIG EAST play, the nationally ranked Pioneers punch their postseason ticket following a 17-10 win at Villanova. Denver, Temple and Georgetown are currently in a three-way tie for second place with matching 6-1 records. The Owls won a crucial game at Vanderbilt, 11-10, thanks to Carly Demato’s game winner with 64 seconds left, while the Hoyas won at Marquette, 19-11. Georgetown hosts Denver on April 22, in a game streaming on the BIG EAST Digital Network, before the Pioneers finish with Cincinnati (April 29). Following the Owls’ game at Florida (April 22), Temple concludes at UConn (April 29).
Temple is making its second consecutive trip to the BIG EAST Championship. In their first BIG EAST postseason appearance, the third-seeded Owls upset second-seeded Connecticut in the semifinals in 2016 before falling to top-seeded Florida in the final. The Hoyas qualify for the BIG EAST Championship for an 11
th consecutive year, winning the title in 2010. Georgetown fell to the Huskies in last season’s semifinals at the Hoyas’ Cooper Field.
The BIG EAST Championship Semifinals are set for May 4 at 4:30 and 7 p.m. (ET). The games will stream live on BEDN. FS2 takes over for the championship game on May 6, set for 2:30 p.m. The winner of the BIG EAST Championship receives the league’s automatic berth into the 26-team NCAA Tournament.
Weekly Schedule/Results
Wednesday
Connecticut 17, Marquette 14*
No. 3/3 Florida 19, Villanova 9*
Georgetown 19, Cincinnati 7*
NR/RV Temple 19, Butler 7*
No. 13/13 Denver 17, Vanderbilt 4*
Saturday
No. 3/3 Florida 22, Butler 2*
Connecticut 18, Cincinnati 11*
No. 13/13 Denver 17, Villanova 10*
Georgetown 19, Marquette 11*
NR/RV Temple 11, Vanderbilt 10*