CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The top-seeded Queens University of Charlotte women's lacrosse team took on fifth-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne University today in the South Atlantic Conference Women's Lacrosse Championship Semifinals defeating the Bears 18-8 to move on to the finals for the fourth consecutive year. The Bears end their season with a record of 11-8 and Queens improves to 15-3 with the victory.
 
Ally Blood and Alexandra Bruder led the Royals with four goals each, while Abigail Paulus and Hanna Scott each recorded hat tricks. Katie Pawlikowski scored two goals, and Shannon Mansberger and Kelly Dowd recording one goal each. Scott also led in assists with three.
 
Though Scott was the first to score for the Royals two minutes into the game, Lenoir Rhyne's Frances Williams and Torrey Schwitkis followed with a pair of goals to put the Bears in front, 2-1, early. Fortunately, three unanswered goals would come for Queens to give the home team a 4-2 lead with 13:33 on the clock.
 
Gabby Sousa of Lenoir-Rhyne would break Queens' run with a goal at 13:02, but the Royals responded with four goals in the remaining minutes of the first half to make the score 8-3 heading into the break.
 
Coming out of the locker room, both teams would trade goals to make the score 11-6 with 20:33 on the clock. Thirty seconds later, Lenoir-Rhyne's Sousa netted her second of the game to make the score 11-7.
 
A pair of goals from both Paulus and Pawlikowski for Queens widened their lead, 13-7, with 18:49 on the clock and four more would follow to enforce the running clock rule with 8:45 left in regulation. A goal from Lenoir-Rhynes Anna Bissell brought the Bears back to within 10, but a goal from Bruder with 19 seconds would give the game its 18-8 score at the horn.
 
The Royals outshot the Bears 38-16 while totaling 25 ground balls to Lenoir-Rhyne's 18. The Royals also put 30 shots on goal. Goalkeeper Chase Brokaw walked away with the win in goal after registering five saves.

Gabby Sousa and Frances Williams led the Bears scoring two goals each. Goalkeeper Ines Flueck recorded 12 saves in the loss.
 
Queens moves on to the championship game tomorrow at 5 p.m., at Dickson Field. The Royals will either face Coker or Wingate.