No. 11 Women's Lacrosse Prepares for NCAA Tournament Opener

Lexington, Va. - The 11th-ranked Ithaca College Women's Lacrosse team earned an at-large bid to the 2021 NCAA Tournament and is now gearing up for a match up with undefeated Notre Dame of Maryland University on Sunday, May 9 at 11:30 a.m.

The Bombers head into the tournament off their first loss of the season in the Liberty League Championship Game to rival William Smith. Ithaca had been 12-0 before the 17-13 loss which could have knocked them out of the tournament with only three at-large bids available. Despite the loss, the Bombers remain one of the most talented teams in the country, led by Liberty League Offensive Player of the Year Jacqui Hallack. Hallack leads the team with 66 goals on the year to go along with 13 assists for 79 points.

Hallack isn't the only weapon the Bombers have on offense. Madison Boutureira, Caroline Grant, Megan Motkowski, and Alexa Ritchie all earned all-league honors from their performance this season. On defense, Rachel Rosenberg, Molly Nodiff, and Mackenzie Schade also earned all-league honors, giving Ithaca a league-high eight selections.

Ithaca earned one more honor as Coach Karrie Moore and Assistant Coach Bailey Herr earned Liberty League Coaching Staff of the year for guiding the team through a season that featured four wins over ranked opponents and a Liberty League Regular Season Championship.

The Gators come into the game unranked as undefeated champions of the Colonial States Athletic Conference. NDMU is 7-0 on the season and has only played conference games. They have defeated their opponents by an average score of 18-4. The Gators are led by CSAC Coach of the Year Kari-Lei Berry, who coached her first season at NDMU in 2020.

The Gators are led by CSAC Rookie of the Year Sara Morales, who leads the team in goals (30), assists (20), points (50), ground balls (21), caused turnovers (19), and draw controls (59). Four other offensive players for the Gators earned CSAC all-league honors. On defense, CSAC Defensive Player of the Year Michaela Saey caused 11 turnovers and picked up 14 ground balls. Two other defensive players earned all-league honors.

The Bombers and Gators have only met once in the history of the two programs. Ithaca won a 12-7 game in 1997 in Ithaca.

The game will take place at host school Washington & Lee University. The winner of the game will advance to play the winner of the 2:30 p.m. game between the Generals and Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham. The second round matchup between the winners will take place on Saturday, May 15 at Washington & Lee.

Players Mentioned

#21 Bailey Herr: A; 5' 10"; Senior

#15 Madison Boutureira: A; 5' 7"; Senior

#22 Caroline Grant: M; 5' 6"; Senior

#2 Jacqui Hallack: M; 5' 2"; Senior

#4 Megan Motkowski: M; 5' 3"; Senior

#13 Molly Nodiff: D; 5' 3"; Senior

#6 Alexa Ritchie: A; 5' 2"; Senior

#10 Rachel Rosenberg: D; 5' 5"; Senior

#33 Mackenzie Schade: GK; 5' 3"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#21 Bailey Herr
: 5' 10"; Senior
: A

#15 Madison Boutureira
: 5' 7"; Senior
: A

#22 Caroline Grant
: 5' 6"; Senior
: M

#2 Jacqui Hallack
: 5' 2"; Senior
: M

#4 Megan Motkowski
: 5' 3"; Senior
: M

#13 Molly Nodiff
: 5' 3"; Senior
: D

#6 Alexa Ritchie
: 5' 2"; Senior
: A

#10 Rachel Rosenberg
: 5' 5"; Senior
: D

#33 Mackenzie Schade
: 5' 3"; Senior
: GK