CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The top-ranked Royals will continue on their road to a national title tomorrow when they face No. 3 East Stroudsburg University in the NCAA DII Women's Lacrosse National Semifinals. Fourth-seeded Queens University of Charlotte is undefeated at 21-0 on the year while the top-seeded Warriors are 19-1.
This season, the Royals won their 7th SAC Regular-Season Championship and 8th straight SAC Championship Tournament. They defeated No. 12 Tampa, 16-13, and No. 10 Florida Southern, 16-13, in the South Region to advance to their third consecutive final four.
Queens is led by a pair of super seniors in
Rebecca Kinsley and
Kyleigh Masteran. Kinsley, an attacker, totals 131 points on 70 goals and 61 assists while Masteran, a midfielder, has 113 points on 90 goals and 23 assists. Kinsley set new single-season points and assists records this year while Masteran set a new single-season goals record. Kinsley also leads the nation in points and ranks fifth in assists while Masteran ranks first in goals and third in points.
Kaitlyn Hardin is right behind the pair with 97 points on 63 goals and 34 assists.
ESU enters the national semifinals after winning their second straight, third overall, Atlantic Region Championship. The Warriors are 19-1 on the season and ranked No. 3 after winning their second PSAC Championship title. They were also PSAC East Regular-Season Co-Champions with No. 6 West Chester. ESU defeated Mercyhurst, 13-3, and West Chester, 13-12, in the Atlantic Region Championship to advance to their second straight final four.
Gianna LeDuc, Emily Mitarotonda, and Kiki Fitzpatrick power the Warriors' offense this season. LeDuc has 103 points on 51 goals and 52 assists, Mitarotonda has 102 points on 82 goals and 20 assists, and Fitzpatrick has 99 points on 53 goals and 46 assists.
Friday's game will be a rematch of the 2021 semifinals where the Royals came out on top 17-14 to advance to their first national championship game.
Shannon Donovan scored four goals in the win for Queens while Mitarotonda totaled six goals and an assist to lead the Warriors.
The all-time series between the Royals and the Warriors sits tied at 1-1 with the Warriors' win having come in 2010.
Tomorrow's game is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Links to live stats and video are available on the
women's lacrosse schedule page.
Be sure to follow the women's lacrosse team on Twitter @QueensWlax and Instagram @Queensroyalslax to stay up to date with everything surrounding the team. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on all social media platforms by searching @QueensAthletics.
