NCAA Division III Regional Website
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Gettysburg College women's lacrosse team will continue its run at another national title this weekend when it hosts three teams for the next two rounds of the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Gettysburg (18-1) will be joined by Denison University (15-4), Middlebury College (13-4), and Montclair State University (14-5) this weekend. The host Bullets will face Denison on Saturday, May 12, at 11:30 a.m. with Middlebury and Montclair State squaring off at 2:30. Sunday's regional championship game is slated for 1 p.m.
Gettysburg head coach
Carol Cantele '83 has her team geared for another run at the national title. The Orange and Blue wasted no time making a statement in the first defense of its 2011 crown, blowing past Cabrini College 22-7 in the first round.
“It is very important to have the first game set the tone for the remainder of the tournament,” said Cantele, who is 285-89 in 20 seasons at Gettysburg. “We were hoping for a good ball game and that our players performed well.”
It won't get easier as the tournament progresses and this weekend the Bullets will face an assortment of teams with varying styles of play. Both Denison and Montclair pulled off one-goal decisions in their first-round games, while Middlebury knocked Norwich University out of the tournament 19-1.
Denison is making its 15th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, but the Big Red was 0-14 before its first-round victory over Adrian College. Montclair State is 2-4 in five trips to the postseason. Middlebury is one of the most successful women's lacrosse programs in Division III and trails only The College of New Jersey in national appearances (18), wins (40), and titles (5).
“We are excited about the teams that will be joining us this weekend - teams that have obviously performed well in their conferences and in their regions,” noted Cantele. “Our players seem to embrace playing new teams so they were excited when they learned of the brackets. All of the teams have established coaches, so we know that they will be well prepared.”
Gettysburg is 3-0 against Denison, including a 16-4 decision in the last match up in 2006. Middlebury is 5-1 against the Bullets and won the last meeting 10-8 in 2010. Gettysburg and Montclair State have never met on the lacrosse field.
The NCAA Tournament can test a team's physical and mental capabilities with three games in five days in the opening week, including back-to-back days to close. The national semifinals and championship are also played on back-to-back days on May 19-20.
Gettysburg has “practiced” the back-to-back scenario twice this season. The Bullets suffered their only loss at TCNJ on March 30 before bouncing back with a victory over Swarthmore College the following day. The team also played on back-to-back days in the Centennial Conference Tournament, defeating Swarthmore and Washington College.
“Our biggest challenges have really been staying focused and fresh while the players are consumed with their final exams,” said Cantele. “They are working off of very little sleep at the moment, but they seem to rally when called upon. It's one of the many qualities that I admire about them.”
Gettysburg is a national tournament veteran at this point with 11 consecutive appearances and 12 showings overall since 2000. The Bullets have appeared in the national semifinals in five of the last six seasons, including runner-up in 2006 and last spring's national title. The focus for the weekend, however, isn't on the past or next weekend's national championships hosted by Montclair State University according to Cantele.
“Our game plan continues to be to live in the moment and enjoy the journey; stay focused on the little things because it is the little things that make big things happen.
