GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Although new to the NCAA Tournament the Mavericks are very familiar with their first-round opponent in the Midwest Region. In their first appearance in the DII Women's Lacrosse NCAA Tournament the Mavericks will face Lindenwood for the third time this season on Friday at 3 pm. Three of the four teams in the Midwest Region come from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, including the top three seeded teams.
After going undefeated all season and winning the RMAC regular season and RMAC Tournament the Regis Rangers received the No. 1 seed followed by No. 2 Lindenwood, No. 3 Mavs and No. 4 Indianapolis.
Announced by the Midwest Regional host (Regis University) the games will now be played at MSU Denver's Regency Athletic Complex. The game will still begin at 3 p.m. but will now be played on artificial turf surface due to poor field conditions at the Regis Match Pitch caused by recent weather.
This NCAA Tournament is made up of four regions that each include four teams. The final team remaining from each region will all travel to Allendale, Michigan for the semifinal and championship game which will be played at the Grand Valley State University Lacrosse Stadium.
The Mavericks are the only team west of the continental divide to make the tournament and has made this the first year that two Colorado teams are competing in the NCAA Tournament.
The Mavs are led by
Paige Elliott who has a recorded a single season record 79 points this season. So far this season she has totaled 22 goals and 57 assists. RMAC Midfielder of the Year
Olivia Hayden has recorded a next best 69 points this season which includes 55 goals and 14 assists. Her 55 goals is an individual best and is four goals away from tying the single season goals record at 59. The RMAC Defender of the Year
Erin Koehler is second on the team in both ground balls (72) and caused turnovers (53).
In the net for the Mavericks
Lula Mitchell post the most wins at 10-2 and has recorded a 37.4 saves percentage and 10.12 goals against average.
National Ranking
The Mavericks ranked No. 17 in the IWLCA Coaches Poll which was released on May 6 after all conferences had concluded their tournaments. The Mavericks have been nationally ranked throughout the entire season.
No. 2 Regis and No. 8 Lindenwood are both in the Mavericks' regional bracket and rank in the top 10.
In the US Lacrosse media poll, the Mavericks rank No. 17. Regis University ranks No. 1 and Lindenwood ranks No. 4.
Scouting Lindenwood
The Mavericks are very familiar with the Lions of Lindenwood as this is their third time meeting them this season including their most recent game in the semifinal of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament.
The Mavericks have fallen each of the three games and had their closest game in the beginning of season when the Lions traveled to Walker Field. In that meeting the Mavericks fell 15-18. The Mavs did not see the Lions until nearly two months later when they advanced to the semifinal game of the RMAC Tournament where they fell 20-9.
Lindenwood is not only familiar with the Mavericks but the NCAA Tournament as this is their sixth consecutive trip to the NCAA. The Mavericks have never beaten Lindenwood as the Lions hold a 12-0 advantage over the Mavs.
Carley Fedorowski and Hailey Gallant lead the Lions and are tied with a team-high 59 points on the season. Fedorowski leads the team with 43 goals, 67 draw controls, 56 ground balls, and 36 caused turnovers.
Up Next
With a win the Mavericks will advance to the NCAA quarterfinals and face with winner of Regis University and UIndy. The game will be played on Sunday May 12 at 11:00 am MT in Denver, Colo
