LAKELAND, Fla. –  The fifth-ranked Queens University of Charlotte Royals punched their ticket to the NCAA DII Women's Lacrosse National Semifinals for the second straight time, defeating the Limestone Saints 14-4 in Lakeland, Florida this afternoon. This was the third meeting between the two sides this year, and the Royals completed the season sweep improving their overall record to an impressive 13-1 and extending their win streak to 11.
 
The Royals attack was well balanced as the team had four different goal scorers and six players finished the game with two or more points. Shannon Donovan and Rachel Perrett each scored four goals on the day as Kara Blanchard completed a hat trick and added an assist for four points in the contest. Kyleigh Masteran wrapped up her own hat trick late in the fourth quarter from a Carson Giordano dime, and the senior now has over 100 career goals. Ally Blood continuously found open teammates finishing with three assists and Sydney Bracken had similar laser vision finding the gaps in the Saints defense as she ended the game with a pair of assists.
 
Though Limestone struck first to take an early 1-0 lead, Queens responded two minutes later with three goals in thirty-seven seconds to pull in front, 3-1. The blinding eruption of offensive firepower left the Saints dazed and confused, and though they were able to dust themselves off and cut into the lead two minutes later they would never fully recover. Queens added six goals in a 15-minute span to establish a dominant 9-2 lead in the contest before each side scored in the halves' final five minutes to give the game a 10-3 score at the break.
 
The second half saw both defenses step up as only five combined goals were scored in the period. Queens scored first in the half pushing its lead to eight and putting the Saints well out of reach. Limestone capitalized on a Royals penalty at the 25-minute mark but that would be all the Saints could manage to produce, as they couldn't quite crack Queens' defense. The Royals then finished the final 15 minutes with three goals to put the icing on top of a fantastic 14-4 victory over their South Atlantic Conference opponent.
 
The two-time South Region Champions outshot Limestone, 32-23, and won the battle for ground balls, 25-17. Limestone was 15-18 clearing the ball for an 83 percent success rate while the Royals finished the game 18-22 for an 82 percent success rate clearing their half. Additionally, the Royals won 13-20 draws controls, which allowed them to control long stretches of the game.
 
In goal, Sara Mitrecic earned the win after totaling five saves. Madelyn DeSoto of the Saints recorded 11 saves in the loss.
 
The remaining rounds of the NCAA DII Women's Lacrosse Championships will take place in Salem, Virginia, May 21-23. The Royals opponent will be determined after the completion of all quarterfinal round games.