Denison & Wooster Capture Women's Lacrosse Semifinal Victories

Top-seeded Denison (17-1) and second-seeded Wooster (17-1) will face off in the 2026 NCAC Women's Lacrosse Tournament final as both teams collected semifinal wins Wednesday evening. The Big Red captured a 19-7 victory over fourth-seeded John Carroll (9-8), while the Fighting Scots defeated third-seeded Kenyon (9-9), 18-17. This year's tournament title game will be played on Saturday, May 2, at Denison's Kienzle-Hylbert Stadium at 1:00 p.m.
 
#1 DENISON (17-1) 19, #4 JOHN CARROLL (9-8) 7
  • Denison stormed out to an early advantage, scoring five unanswered goals in the opening minutes behind efficient offense and strong draw control play. First-year Finlay Harmon (Towson, MD/Towson) and senior Mary Martinson (Concord, NH/Concord) helped pace the attack, while the Big Red capitalized on both settled and free-position opportunities. John Carroll answered late in the quarter with a pair of goals from sophomore Anna Vaccarelli (Medina, OH/Medina) and first-year Mea Musillo (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair), using improved possession and draw control to shift some momentum heading into the second down 6-2.
  • The Big Red picked up right where it left off, opening the quarter with three quick goals from sophomore Emersen Thompson (Baltimore, MD/Garrison Forest), who netted two, and senior Madison Goldstein (Lutherville, MD/Roland Park County School) to extend its lead to 9-2. John Carroll answered with resilience, as Musillo converted a free-position opportunity to halt the run, but the Big Red answered back with another score by Harmon. Junior Riley Knapp (Cazenovia, NY/Cazenovia) struck off an Vaccarelli assist to cut the deficit to 10-4 before going into halftime.
  • A 5-0 run by Denison opened the third quarter, including back-to-back finishes from Martinson followed by scores from senior Bridget Sheehy (Pawleys Island, SC/Westminster), who netted a pair, and Goldstein to extend the lead to 15-4. The Big Red capitalized on strong possessions and transition opportunities to keep the pressure on. John Carroll broke through late in the quarter as senior Anna Spitzer (Marcellus, NY/Marcellus Senior) found the back of the net off a Musillo assist, but Denison maintained firm control heading into the fourth up 15-5.
  • The fiinal frame opened with Goldstein striking first to extend the Denison lead, followed shortly by Martinson to keep momentum firmly with the Big Red. John Carroll responded with a goal from Musillo to get on the board in the quarter and cutting the deficit to 17-6. Denison answered again with back-to-back goals from junior Addie Clift (Alexandria, VA/West Potomac) and sophomore Anie Savarese (Wilton, CT/Wilton) to reassert control late. With just 16 seconds remaining, Knapp added a final goal for John Carroll, but Denison closed out the 12-goal win.
  • In the scoring column, the Big Red were led by Martinson, Goldstein and Harmon, as Martinson led all-scorers with five goals and Goldstein and Harmon netted a trio each, and Sheehy adding a game-high four assists for Denison. Musillo paced John Carroll with three goals, while Knapp added a pair of finishes for the Blue Streaks in the loss.
  • As a team, Denison outshot John Carroll 25-15, earned 15 draw controls to the Blue Streaks' 11, and caused 11 turnovers, while John Carroll forced eight turnovers.
 
#2 WOOSTER (17-1) 18, #3 KENYON (9-9) 17
  • The opening quarter featured a rapid back-and-forth pace, with both teams trading scoring runs and momentum swings. Senior Sophia Mellis (Pittsburgh, PA/Oakland Catholic) put Wooster on the board first, but Kenyon quickly responded behind senior Lily Mason (Evanston, IL/Evanston) before sophomores Cassidy Driscoll (Irvine, CA/Orange Lutheran) and Mizan Jacobs (Santa Fe, NM/Santa Fe Preparatory), netted back-to-back goals for the 3-1 lead. The Owls answered with goals from senior Spencer Kirsch (Chevy Chase, MD/Bullis), sophomore Ashley Auerbach (Ridgewood, NJ/Ridgewood), and a second from Mason to regain control midway through the frame. Wooster closed the quarter strong with finishes from Mellis senior, Lizzie Hardy (Gibsonia, PA/Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh), and first-year Kylie MacMillan (Jackson, WY/Jackson Hole), while Kenyon capped the scoring with sophomore Charlotte Skelly (Concord, MA/Concord-Carlisle Regional) finding the back of the net to keep the game tightly contested at 7-5.
  • The second quarter remained tightly contested, with both teams exchanging goals in a back-and-forth rhythm and multiple ties throughout the period. Kenyon opened the scoring with Auerbach, but Wooster answered immediately as senior Brynne Snaguski (Rolling Hills Estates, CA/Palos Verses Peninsula) gave the Scots an 8-6 advantage. The Owls responded with a sophomore Susannah Zimmerman (New York, NY/The Dalton School) goal, before Wooster's Jacobs answered back. Senior Ashley Quinn (Tampa, FL/Berkeley Prep) cut the deficit to one, 9-8, while Mellis answered for a 10-8 edge. Kenyon netted back-to-back goals from Auerbach and Kirsch to tie the game at 10-all. Jacobs and senior Ella Rigoli (Arlington, VA/Georgetown Visitation) tallied the final scores of the frame, moving the game into the half tied at 11-11.
  • Kenyon opened the second half with a dominant 3-0 run, as Auerbach scored three times to swing momentum firmly in the Owls' favor. Her first two goals helped stretch the lead, including one off a Quinn assist and another set up by sophomore Ella Baxter (Key West, FL/Key West), pushing Kenyon to a 14-11 advantage. Wooster answered with a man-up goal from Snaguski to stop the run and keep the Scots within reach. However, Kenyon closed the sequence with a Skelly finish to make it 15-12 heading into the final stretch.
  • Wooster immediately cut into the deficit as Mellis scored just 33 seconds into the frame to make it 15-13 Kenyon. Kenyon answered back with a goal from Baxter to restore momentum, and over four minutes later Snaguski brought the Scots back within striking distance. Kenyon responded again with a goal from Kirsch to maintain control at 17-14, but Wooster closed the game on a decisive 4-0 run. Mellis sparked the surge, followed by goals from Hardy and MacMillan before Mellis struck again with just one second remaining to complete the comeback and secure the dramatic victory.
  • Offensively, Mellis led all scorers with a game-high seven goals, while Auerbach paced the Owls with six goals and Baxter and Quinn dished a game-high five assists apiece. 
  • In the fast-paced, high-scoring matchup, Wooster and Kenyon were pretty evenly matched, with the Scots holding a slight advantage in shots (32-28), ground balls (23-20) and caused turnovers, while Kenyon held the edge in shots on goal (22-19) and draw controls (20-18).

Related Stories

Related Videos

Now Playing: