Falcons Prepare for NCAA Championship First Round Game at Pace
WALTHAM, Mass. – After getting selected to the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship on Sunday night, the Falcons have been hard at work preparing for Thursday's first round game against Pace at 11:00 AM.
Setting the Stage
Bentley was selected as the fourth seed in the East Region against the top seeded Setters. The Falcons will go into the game ranked 18th nationally and with an 11-7 overall record.
Pace, the defending national champions, are ranked #1 nationally and have a 20-0 record on the season. They won the NE10 championship on Saturday with a 16-14 victory over Adelphi.
The winner will face the winner of the other first round game in the East Region between #2 Adelphi and #3 New Haven. That game will be on Saturday at 12:00 PM.
Familiar Foes
Thursday's game will be the third between these teams in less than three weeks. They first met in Waltham on April 27 in the regular season and played again in the NE10 semifinals on May 8 after Bentley advanced with a win over Assumption in the quarterfinals.
On The Doorstep
Maeve Johnson is on the doorstep of some history. She needs just two more points and three more goals to break the program single season records. The records of 66 goals and 93 points were both set by Bentley Hall of Famer Alyssa Ritchie in 2009.
Johnson goes into Thursday's game with 64 goals and 92 points.
Notes
Junior attacker Amanda Davis has been one of the most efficient goal scorers in the NE10 this season. Of the 21 players in the NE10 with at least 40 goals, her shooting percentage is the best. Davis has scored on 46 of 79 shots (58.2%).
Caroline Affolter is one of just six players in the NE10 this season with 50+ points and 60+ draw controls.
Freshman goalie Lauren Rochel leads the NE10 with a 50.8 save percentage. Her 9.71 goals against average is third.
NCAA History
This is Bentley's second ever appearance in the NCAA Championship. The first time was in 2021, after they won the NE10 championship. That season, the Falcons advanced in the first round over Mercy but were eliminated by Roberts Wesleyan in the East Region final.