Equipped with a 15-4 overall record and the 2013 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) regular-season and tournament titles, the University of Redlands women's lacrosse team garnered an at-large berth to the NCAA Division III Championships as the host of a first-round game against Augustana College (IL). The Bulldogs welcome the Vikings to Farquhar Field on Wed., May 8, for a 7 p.m. game.
Admission prices for Wednesday's game are $6 for adults, $3 for students and senior citizens, and $2 for children 3-12 years old. No pets are allowed at the field.
In addition, fans may follow the excitement through live stats and video streaming.
View the 2013 NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship bracket at NCAA.com.
The Bulldogs make their third consecutive appearance at the NCAA Division III Championships, following last season's historical run that included the program's inaugural NCAA tournament victory.
Most recently, Redlands has won its last eight games. The Maroon and Gray relies on a diversified attack that includes seven players with 10 or more goals. Junior midfielder Jacky Craycraft (Trabuco Canyon, CA), the SCIAC Player of the Year, tops the team with 56 goals and 16 assists for 72 points, while senior midfielder Crystal Painter (Lake George, NY) and senior attack player Allie Hoffler (Draper, UT) head up the ball-distribution duties with 27 assists each. Painter also collects the majority of the draw controls with 71.
Defensively, graduate student goalkeeper Ana Martinez (Pleasanton, CA) patrols the Redlands cage, racking up 118 saves with a goals-against-average of 9.03 en route to a 15-4 record in more than 1,050 minutes.
On Feb. 21, Redlands knocked off Augustana in the Vikings' season-opener by a score of 18-6. The Bulldogs led wire-to-wire after rattling off seven unanswered goals to start the game. Senior attack player Aimee Dewan (Alamo, CA), junior midfielder KK McCaslin (Portland, OR), and freshman midfielder Stephanie Garrett (San Diego, CA) led the onslaught with two goals apiece during the opening 20 minutes.
In only its third year of varsity competition, Augustana punched its inaugural ticket to the NCAA Championships by winning the Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference Tournament in a frenetic 10-9 win over North Central College (IL) on Saturday. The Vikings held off a late push by the opponents to hold on for the championship and the automatic bid while recording their 13th triumph in a row.
Augustana also captured the regular-season title with an 8-0 run through the MWLC during the Vikings' first season in the league.
Overall, Augustana (16-3, 8-0 MWLC) relies on a well-balanced attack with nine players boasting 10 or more goals. However, Christina Letmanski headlines the offense with 49 goals and 31 assists on the season. Emily Handrahan and Hilary Kargl provide additional fire power with 63 points each with similar balances in goals and assists, with Kargl serving as a spark off the bench. Kaylee Nolan dominates the draw controls for the Vikings, racking up 73 on the campaign.
Sarah Osier serves as the primary shot-stopper, earning a goals-against-average of 8.28 while recording 82 saves in 717 minutes of action.
The Vikings currently lead the nation in caused turnovers, registering 18.82 per game, which is nearly four more than the second-best team. In addition, Augustana lands among the national top-five in scoring margin (fourth-10.47), points (fifth-446.0), scoring defense (fifth-6.35), and scoring offense (fifth-16.82).
