Cortland to Face Westfield State in NCAA Women's Lacrosse First Round Saturday at Tufts
Cortland Sports Information Department
The Cortland women's lacrosse team has earned a berth into the 46-team 2024 NCAA Division III playoffs. The Red Dragons (14-4) will face Westfield State University (Mass.) (12-7) in a first-round game on Saturday, May 11, at 1 p.m. at Tufts University in Medford, Mass.
The Cortland/Westfield State winner will face host Tufts (14-3) in the NCAA second round Sunday at 1 p.m. That winner will advance to a four-team regional May 18-19 at a site to be determined. The national semifinals and finals will be held May 24 and 26 at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Va.
The Red Dragons, led by third-year head coach Kelsey Van Alstyne, won the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) regular-season title with a 9-0 league mark and then defeated Brockport, 15-7, in the conference tournament semifinals and Geneseo, 14-7, in the championship game to earn an automatic bid into the playoff field.
The Red Dragons will be making their 26th NCAA appearance (Cortland also competed in five AIAW or USWLA national tournaments from 1979-1984). Last season, Cortland received a bye into the second round before losing at Tufts. The Red Dragons won two NCAA games in 2022 and tied for ninth nationally. Cortland advanced to at least the national semifinals six straight years from 2011-16, winning the national title in 2015.
Westfield State is making its sixth NCAA tournament appearance. The Owls earned an automatic berth after defeating Framingham State, 11-6, in the championship game of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) tournament on Saturday.
Cortland and Westfield State will be meeting for the first time. Cortland is 4-3 all-time versus Tufts, although the Jumbos have won the last three meetings. Tufts defeated Cortland in the NCAA second round last year at Tufts as well as during the regular season this spring, also in Medford.
