NCAA Bracket

EWING, N.J. – The TCNJ women's lacrosse team is once again set to begin its NCAA Tournament journey in the comforts of home.
 
The 12^th-ranked Lions were selected as a host of an opening round pod for the fourth consecutive season when the NCAA field was revealed on Monday, and will welcome No. 17 Stevens and George Fox to the Lacrosse & Field Hockey Complex this weekend.
 
TCNJ received a bye to Sunday's second round and will await the winner of the first-round clash between the Ducks and Bruins. Both games will start at 1 p.m.
 
The Lions (14-4) are fresh off their 14^th consecutive NJAC title over the weekend, rallying from a fourth-quarter deficit to edge Rowan, 16-12, and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the 39^th consecutive season.
 
Three-time NJAC Attack Player of the Year Ally Tobler (78G/29A) leads the way for the Lions, who also boast Marissa Lucca (64G/46A), CJ Kole (49G/29A), Gabriella Roosa (35G/37A), and Veronica Campbell (33G/9A) in a deep attacking arsenal.
 
Meghan Hogan headlines the midfield for the Lions, with Ashly Herlihy, Kate Martinek, and Emily Potenza anchoring the defense in front of two-time NJAC Goaltender of the Year Julia Charest.
 
George Fox (14-4) is making its sixth consecutive NCAA appearance after winning the Northwest Conference for the ninth year in a row with a 12-9 victory over Whitman. The Bruins will make the nearly 3,000-mile trip to the Garden State in search of their first-ever NCAA victory and are led by Lana Davis (53G/28A), Ava Bluhm (53G/21A), Morgan Maxfield (38G/27A), Claire Abraham (42G/10A), and Merrick Gibson (40G/10A).
 
Stevens (15-4) soared to its fourth straight MAC Freedom title with a 19-5 rout of Lebanon Valley over the weekend. The Ducks have won an NCAA Tournament game three years in a row, bowing out in the second round each time.
 
Emily Leiby (50G/31A), Stefanie Sellitto (56G/9A), Emily Smart (24G/41A), and Maddie Hogan (50G/10A) make for a prolific offense for Stevens, which outscored its opponents by an average of nearly 10 goals this season. The Ducks have played a difficult schedule, winning 10 straight games after a 5-4 start that included losses to currently ranked teams in No. 3 Wesleyan (13-4), No. 8 York (10-9), and No. 23 Rowan (13-6), as well as a 15-7 win over No. 19 Haverford.
 
Kathleen Jaeger, an All-American in both lacrosse and track and field at TCNJ, serves as an assistant coach on the Stevens staff.