TAMPA, Fla. – The University of South Florida women’s lacrosse team is rewriting the record books in real time. On Thursday afternoon at FirstBank Stadium, the Bulls secured a 13-7 victory over Temple, earning a spot in the American Conference Championship game and moving within sixty minutes of a historic NCAA milestone.
In just their second year of existence, the Bulls (12-4) have become the first program in NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse history to reach a postseason conference title game in each of their first two seasons. A victory in the final would make them the first program ever to win a conference tournament championship within that same two-year window.
The semifinal matchup was defined by a dominant opening stretch. USF jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first quarter, with five different players—Ava Uphues, Kali Cleary, Jena Binkis, Julia Huxtable, and Sofia Chepenik—finding the back of the net. The Bulls’ depth was on full display as their first eight goals of the game were scored by eight different individuals.
READ: Top-Seed USF Women’s Lacrosse Opens Conference Tourney Against Temple
By halftime, USF held an 8-2 lead. The defensive unit, anchored by goalkeeper Natalie Eastwood, kept the Owls at bay for the majority of the contest. Eastwood tied her career high with 11 saves, frustrating the Temple offense and holding them to only three goals through the first three quarters of play.
“South Florida outshot Temple 39-21 and held a 27-11 edge in shots on goal,” the team noted in their post-game summary, highlighting a statistical performance that saw the Bulls win 13 of 22 draw controls and successfuly complete 18 of 19 clear attempts.
Temple (12-5) attempted a comeback in the final period, scoring four times to narrow the gap to 12-7. However, Sofia Chepenik stifled the momentum by firing home a man-down goal with 7:19 remaining to secure the final 13-7 margin. Chepenik and Elise Grissett led the scoring effort with three goals and one assist each.
Maggie Newton also played a pivotal role in the transition game and on offense, tallying a goal and three assists while collecting four ground balls and four draw controls.
The win sets the stage for a high-stakes final on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. ET. If the Bulls capture the conference trophy, they will likely secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament, joining the 2011 Florida Gators as the only programs to reach the national postseason in their first or second year.
USF will face the winner of the second semifinal between No. 2 seed James Madison and No. 3 seed ECU.
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