Stony Brook, Drexel Open NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship with Friday Neutral-Site Clashes

Stony Brook, Drexel Open NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship with Friday Neutral-Site Clashes

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Miles McQuiggan

SYRACUSE, N.Y./CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. (May 9, 2024) – CAA Women’s Lacrosse Champion Stony Brook and at-large selection Drexel begin NCAA Tournament play on Friday.
 
No. 14 Stony Brook will travel upstate to play Niagara in Syracuse, New York at 2 p.m., while No. 22 Drexel will play No. 18 Princeton in a game hosted by Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts at 4 p.m.
 
Stony Brook is 17-2 entering its 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Seawolves hold four wins over the RPI Top 20 including an overtime victory over its potential NCAA Second Round opponent, as Stony Brook defeated Syracuse, 13-12, on March 5 at the JMA Wireless Dome. Stony Brook was the highest-ranked team in the RPI (7) not to receive a national seed; the Seawolves’ two losses were by a combined three goals to NCAA Tournament teams.
 
Tewaaraton nominee Ellie Masera is second in the nation in points/game (6.12), sixth in goals/game (4.06), and ninth in draws/game (8.00). Masera, who was selected in Wednesday’s Athletes Unlimited Draft, enters Friday eight points shy of the CAA’s single-season points record.
 
Stony Brook will face Niagara on Friday for the first time in program history. The Purple Eagles are 16-3 after winning the MAAC title on Sunday to qualify for their first NCAA Tournament.
 
Drexel enters the NCAA Tournament at 13-5 and has qualified for the fourth consecutive year, a run that includes three at-large selections. The Dragons have played seven of their 17 games this season against teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament with wins over Penn State and Binghamton, while four of the five setbacks have been to the top seven in the RPI.
 
Tewaaraton watch list selection Jenika Cuocco has been one of the nation’s top goalies in 2024, leading the nation in saves/game (11.94) while ranking second in save percentage (.580) and 10th in goals-against average (8.77).
 
Drexel will play Princeton for the first time since 2016 on Friday. The nearby opponents have played twice in program history with the Tigers taking both meetings. Princeton is 10-6 after falling to national seed Penn, 18-14, in the Ivy League semifinals on Friday.
 
With wins on Friday, Stony Brook would advance to play No. 3 national seed Syracuse and Drexel would face No. 2 national seed Boston College on Sunday afternoon.
 
The CAA has multiple representatives in the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship for the fourth consecutive year and the seventh time in the last eight tournaments. League members have won 10 games in NCAA Tournament play in that stretch dating back to 2016; Stony Brook earned an NCAA First Round victory over Penn State last season, while former league member James Madison won the national championship in 2018.
 
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