Ohanian's Bracket Breakdown: Division II Women
by Paul Ohanian | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
The 2009 NCAA Divisions I, II and III men's and women's
lacrosse tournaments were announced Sunday, with the standard fare
of intrigue and drama surrounding the brackets. LMO's Jac Coyne,
Matt DaSilva and Paul Ohanian play Monday morning
midfielders with post-selection analysis.
Bookmark LMO at www.laxmagazine.com for the most widespread coverage
of the NCAA tournaments.
No. 1-ranked Adelphi and No. 4 Limestone earned the top seeds in
the North and South brackets, respectively, for the NCAA Division
II women’s lacrosse tournament.
Adelphi (16-0) completed an undefeated regular season and captured
the East Coast Conference championship with a 14-9 win over C.W.
Post on Saturday. The Panthers have a bye into the national
semifinal round, where they will face the winner of the opening
round game between No. 2 C.W. Post (15-2) and No. 8 New Haven
(16-3)
In the South, Limestone (17-2) earned the top seed despite losing
14-11 to Dowling in Saturday’s season finale. The Saints,
champion of the Carolinas Conference, face the winner of the
opening round game between No.3 Lock Haven (16-3) and No. 5
Mercyhurst (14-3).
The championship, expanded by two teams this year, provides for a
six-team tournament field. The two first-round games will be played
May 9 at campus sites, with the winners advancing to the semifinals
to play the number one seeded teams. Semifinals and the final will
be played May 16-17 in Salem, Virginia.
The match-ups:
North Region
#3 seed New Haven at #2 seed C.W. Post
Winner faces #1 seed Adelphi
South Region
#3 Mercyhurst at #2 Lock Haven
Winner faces #1 Limestone
LAST TEAM IN
Mercyhurst
The Lakers got the nod for the third seed in the South with a
strong schedule. In addition, they split with the three teams they
lost to during the season: No. 7 Gannon, No. 3 Lock Haven and
then-No. 1 West Chester.
FIRST TEAM OUT
West Chester
Just like in the Division II men's field, the defending national
champion did not qualify for the tournament. Despite finishing 14-3
against one of the toughest schedules in the country, the Golden
Rams lose out to the ‘Hurst for the final spot. Two of their
losses came on the road at Mercyhurst and Gannon in back-to-back
games, with the third coming against Lock Haven in the PSAC
championship game.
SNUBBED?
Lock Haven
A case could possibly be made that the Eagles deserved the top
seed in the South due to a better strength of schedule than
Limestone, but its not an overwhelming case since Limestone beat
Lock Haven head-to-head back on March 6. Limestone’s loss
against Dowling on Saturday may have provided the Eagles with a
late glimmer of hope, but the key early-season victory was the
difference keeping the bye in the Saints’ favor.
BEST FIRST-ROUND MATCHUP
Mercyhurst-Lock Haven
The teams split their two regular season games in the highly
competitive PSAC, with each winning on the other’s home
field. The Hurst won the first meeting 13-12 in March, with Lock
Haven returning the favor with an 18-16 victory on April
16.
CHAMPIONSHIP FAVORITE
Adelphi
The Panthers have been the clear-cut frontrunner since the
beginning of the season. Coach Joe Spallina’s team has
dominated most opponents and made it look easy for most of the
year. Their biggest hurdle is likely to be a looming semifinal
re-match against ECC rival C.W. Post, which trailed by just one
goal at halftime of Saturday’s game before falling 14-9.
