The University of South Florida’s meteoric rise in Division I women’s lacrosse hit a roadblock on Saturday as the Bulls fell 17-7 to James Madison in the American Conference Championship.
Despite the loss at the Vanderbilt Lacrosse Complex, USF (12-5) etched its name into the record books by becoming the first program in NCAA history to reach a conference title game in each of its first two seasons of competition.
The Bulls briefly held the momentum early in the first quarter. Sofia Chepenik and Maggie Newton, the latter assisted by Jena Binkis, pushed USF to a 2-1 lead.
However, the Dukes (13-6) responded with a punishing five-goal run, aided by two man-up opportunities following green cards against the Bulls, to end the opening period up 6-3.
USF attempted a comeback in the second quarter when Ava Uphues found the back of the net off a Chepenik assist, narrowing the gap to 7-4. But James Madison seized control for good in the third quarter, scoring five unanswered goals in the first ten minutes to stretch the lead to 13-4.
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Following the final whistle, four USF players—Chepenik, Elise Grissett, Maggie Newton, and Jena Binkis—were named to the All-Tournament Team. The group was prolific throughout the postseason, combining for 13 goals and 21 total points over two games. Chepenik led the Bulls on Saturday with three goals and two assists, while the team overall managed to win the draw control battle 14-12.
The Bulls’ season isn’t necessarily over.
Sitting at No. 14 in the RPI, South Florida is in a strong position for an at-large bid; historically, no team ranked No. 21 or higher has ever been excluded from the NCAA Tournament.
The team will learn its postseason fate during the selection show on Sunday, May 3, at 9:00 p.m. ET.
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