EWING, N.J. – The No. 9 TCNJ women's lacrosse team put on a ruthless clinic on both ends of the field in Wednesday's NJAC semifinal against Montclair State, rolling up 11 goals in the first quarter en route to a 20-0 shutout.
 
Top-seeded TCNJ advanced to the NJAC championship game on Saturday against second-seeded Rowan – a 13-8 winner over third-seeded Stockton in the other semifinal – at 1 p.m. back at the Lacrosse Complex.
 
Marissa Lucca had five goals and two assists and Kira Sides (3G/3A), Ally Tobler (3G/2A), and CJ Kole (3G/1A) also produced hat-tricks as the Lions enjoyed a running clock for more than 47 minutes of game time. TCNJ's defense was relentless, allowing only two shots and registering the first shutout in NJAC Tournament history.
 
FOR THE RECORD

• TCNJ improved to 13-4 with its fifth straight win, while Montclair ended its season at 8-6

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Lions got on top early and never let up, scoring eight times before the halfway point of the first quarter. Lucca had four of those goals – including a stretch of three in a row in just two minutes – and Kole converted a pair of free-position chances
• Kole's third goal of the quarter – a woman-up marker with 2:28 left in the period – brought on a running clock, and Tobler finished a feed from Lucca with 16 ticks remaining to close out an 11-0 frame
• TCNJ slowed down from there, scoring four times in each of the next two quarters and once in the fourth
• Natalie Berry, Madison Wernik, and Katherine Naiburg joined Lucca with second-quarter goals as the Lions took a 15-0 lead into halftime
• Veronica Campbell got on the board with the first goal of the third quarter and Tobler tacked on another before Sides put in a pair to make it 19-0 after three
• Sydney Sieja scored a free-position goal – her third of the season – with 1:13 remaining to cap the scoring

STANDOUT LIONS

• Lucca's five goals and two assists gave her at least seven points in three of the last four games
• Sides stood out on both ends, pairing three goals with three assists for a career-high six points while adding five ground balls and four caused turnovers
• Tobler added three draws and three ground balls to her five-point day
• Kole matched her season high with three goals
• Berry, Naiburg, Morgan Vaccaro, and Wernik each had a goal and an assist, and Wernik had four ground balls
• Kaitlyn Birnbohm-Kaminski tallied two caused turnovers
• Julia Charest saved the only shot she faced in preserving the shutout

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• TCNJ held a 34-2 advantage in shots and put 28 of them on goal
• TCNJ forced 22 turnovers, and the Red Hawks were just 4-for-14 on clearing attempts
• The Lions had a 14-8 edge in draw controls
• TCNJ, the national leader in free-position percentage, was a perfect 6-for-6 on Wednesday

NOTES

• Charest moved into a tie for 5th all-time with her 341st career save
• Tobler jumped into 7th on the all-time points list (264)

UP NEXT

• The Lions host Rowan for the NJAC title on Saturday. The teams have met in the championship game three years in a row