PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The Pace University women's lacrosse team, after winning the East Regional in the NCAA Tournament last weekend, is now set to compete in the National Semifinals against Florida Southern College Friday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m. with a trip to the championship game on the line.
The game will be played on the campus of UIndy in Indianapolis, Ind.
HOW WE GOT HERE
The Setters are coming off the most successful season in program history, finishing the regular season with a 15-1 record. Several players on the team have set program records in what has been a historic season for Pace women's lacrosse, as the Setters have reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever.
After finishing the regular season with a perfect 12-0 record in the NE10, Pace went all the way to the NE10 Championship game before falling just short to Le Moyne College. The Setters then picked up two victories in the NCAA East Regional over the University of New Haven and Adelphi University to punch their ticket to Indy.
THE GRAD STUDENTS
Pace has three grad students on the team this year, and they have been a massive reason for the team's success this season. Midfielder Aleya Corretjer (Thiells, N.Y./North Rockland) has put together the best season by any player in the nine-year history of the team, as she currently has 51 goals and 59 assists for 110 total points. This season, she has the single-game assists record, single-season assists record, all-time assists record, and tied the single-game points record while ranking fifth nationally in assists.
Midfielder Emma Rafferty (Bay Shore, N.Y./Islip) has broken into the record books as well this year, setting new team records in single-game goals and single-season goals. She's scored 78 on the year in addition to 17 assists while shooting .510 on the season and is tied for the fifth-most goals in the country.
Midfielder Kayla Conway (Wantagh, N.Y./Wantagh) currently sits third on the team with 77 points, tallying 61 goals and 16 assists. She leads the team with a .560 shooting percentage and ranks second on the team with 36 ground balls and third with 32 caused turnovers.
OFFENSE
The Setters currently rank third in all of Division II, averaging 18.1 goals per game. They have gotten contributions up and down the lineup, and the play of junior midfielder Angelina Porcello (Eastchester, N.Y./Eastchester), senior attacks Jolie Urraro (Sayville, N.Y./Connetquot) and Sydney Juvelier (Centereach, N.Y./Centereach), and others have been key in helping Pace put up goals at a massive rate this season.
TOUGH DEFENSIVELY
In addition to a strong offense, Pace currently ranks seventh in Division II with 7.71 goals per game allowed. Porcello leads the team with 59 ground balls, 51 caused turnovers and 125 draw controls while ranking sixth nationally in caused turnovers per game. Senior defender Delilah Doyle (West Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon Senior) and junior defender Alexandra Quinn (Eastport, N.Y./Eastport South Manor) have had strong seasons as well, with both being named to the NE10 All-Conference First Team. Freshman goalkeeper Samantha Tanguay (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) has been solid in net for Pace this season, winning a team record 17 games on the year.
THE MOCS
The Setters and Mocs faced off once this year, as Florida Southern handed Pace its only regular season loss with a 14-12 victory on March 12.
The Mocs had an 18-3 record on the year and went 6-1 in the SSC. They advanced to SSC Championship game before falling to the No. 2 ranked University of Tampa 17-16 in overtime.
The key player for Florida Southern this season has been Jackie Stoller. The grad student has scored 65 goals this year and dished out 39 assists for 104 points while being named a USA Lacrosse Magazine First-Team All-American. The Mocs have five players that have scored at least 60 points this year, getting offense from several players in their lineup.
THE BRACKET
The two teams will play the latter game of the semifinal round, with West Chester University and Grand Valley State University playing in the opening game at 4 p.m. The winners of the two semifinal games will play each other in the NCAA Championship game Sunday, May 21 at 2 p.m.
