VILLANOVA, Pa. – The BIG EAST Women’s Lacrosse Championship presented by Jeep got under way on Thursday at Villanova Stadium with semifinal action seeing top-seeded Florida advance past fourth-seeded Temple, 21-9, and No. 3 seed Denver edging No. 2 seed Georgetown in the closing seconds, 9-8. The Gators and Pioneers will meet at Villanova on Saturday in the title game at 2:30 p.m. (ET), in a game airing on FS2. The winner receives the league’s automatic berth into the 26-team NCAA Tournament.
Semifinal 1: No. 1 Florida 21, No. 4 Temple 9
BOX SCORE
Top-seeded Florida used a pair of high-scoring spurts to pull away from fourth-seeded Temple, 21-9, to advance to its third consecutive BIG EAST Championship title game. BIG EAST Attacker of the Year Mollie Stevens notched five goals off six shots, while Lindsey Ronbeck scored four times for the Gators. Brenda McDermott led the Owls with five goals off six shots, along with three caused turnovers. Florida took an early 3-0 lead, but Temple battled back and the teams traded goals until the Gators led 6-4 with just over 10 minutes left in the first half. Florida turned on the jets at that point, reeling off seven goals in seven minutes, including two apiece by Ronbeck and Stevens. Florida led 14-5 at the break, then opened the second period with six straight goals. Temple scored four of the last five goals to inch closer, with McDermott scoring three during that 12-minute span.
Florida advances to its third consecutive BIG EAST title game, improving to 5-0 in BIG EAST Championship play. The Gators’ 14 first-half goals are a tournament record for goals in a half, snapping its own record of 13 from 2015.
Semifinal 2: No. 3 Denver 9, No. 2 Georgetown 8
BOX SCORE
Tied with 35 seconds remaining, Denver’s Caitlin Derry buried a shot from 15 yards out to send the Pioneers to their first BIG EAST Championship title game, topping second-seeded Georgetown, 9-8. Denver never trailed in the contest, leading by as many as four goals before the Hoyas mounted a second-half comeback. Six different Pioneers scored in the opening 30 minutes as Denver carried a 6-2 advantage into the break. The Hoyas scored four of the next five goals to close within one, 7-6, with 10:22 remaining, with Taylor Gebhardt scoring twice in that span. Georgetown again traded two goals for one Denver score to knot the game at 8-8 with 2:11 left, the game’s first tie. Both teams had quality opportunities in the closing seconds, but it was Derry’s rip that found the back of the net. In addition to Derry, Maddy Stevenson was clutch for the Pioneers, making eight saves on the night. The Hoyas were led by Gebhardt’s hat trick and three caused turnovers.
Denver became the third consecutive three-seed to send the No. 2 seed packing in the semifinals, and will look to become the first No. 3 since 2011 to claim the crown. The 17-goal total between Denver and Georgetown was the lowest in BIG EAST Championship play since the 2014 final (Louisville 9, Georgetown 8), and just the third game in conference postseason history to see both teams held to single-digit goals.
2017 BIG EAST Women’s Lacrosse Championship
Presented by Jeep
Semifinals – Thursday, May 4
No. 1 Florida 21, No. 4 Temple 9*
No. 3 Denver 9, No. 2 Georgetown 8*
Final – Saturday, May 6
Semifinal winners, 2:30 p.m.^
All times Eastern
All games played at Villanova Stadium (Villanova, Pa.)
*BEDN
^FS2