HARTFORD, Conn. - The Trinity College women's lacrosse team, which downed Plymouth State, 22-4, and edged MIT, 11-10, on the opening weekend of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament to improve to 13-5, has advanced to the NCAA Regionals and will head to Middlebury College this weekend for the NCAA Third Round and quarterfinals. The Bantams will play the host Panthers in the NCAA Third Round on Saturday, May 20 at 11:30 a.m., followed by the other third round game between the Colby College Mules and The College of New Jersey Lions at 2:30 p.m. and the winners will advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals on Sunday, May 21 at 1 p.m. Sunday's victor will advance to the NCAA National Semifinals and Finals in Virginia on May 26 and 27.  Tickets will be $6 for adults, $3 for seniors and student with ID.  Children ages 3 to 12 will be admitted free of charge.  Ticket sales will begin one hour prior to Saturday's first game at 10:30 a.m. and on Sunday at noon.

Trinity, coached by Katy Szymanski (9th Season), is playing in its 15th NCAA Tournament but its first since 2017.  The No. 13-ranked Bantams, which received an at-large invitation to this year's NCAA Division III Championship Tournament, own a 33-13 all-time record in the tourney.  Trinity first participated in 1995, lost in the first round in 2008, played into the quarterfinals in 1995, 1997, 1998, 2007, and every year from 2010 to 2018, reached the NCAA Semifinals each year from 2012 to 2017, were NCAA Finalists in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, and won the NCAA title in 2012.  

Trinity thumped Plymouth State on Saturday, as senior tri-captain attacker Lily Ives (Chappaqua, N.Y.) led the way with five goals, including the 100th of her career, and two assists.  Junior Natalie Miller (Northport, N.Y.) added four goals, and junior attacker Caroline Lampert (Wayland, Mass.) notched two goals and three assists to go with four ground balls.  Ives executed a highlight-reel-worthy, game-winning goal with 2:44 remaining on Sunday against No. 23-ranked MIT.  First-year attacker Molly McGuckin (Darien, Conn.) recorded a team-high four points on two goals and two assists, while senior tri-captain midfielder Elle Fair (Westport, Conn.) scored three times, and Lampert and Miller both scored twice against the Engineers.  McGuckin also had two ground balls and two draw controls, while first-year defender Samanth Hark (King of Prussia, Pa.) registered two caused turnovers and two ground balls, and sophomore midfielder Alexa Macauley (Richmond, Va.) contributed three draw controls and two caused turnovers.  Senior Alyssa Vitale (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and first-year Ali Macdougal (Southbury, Conn.) combined for 14 saves in goal in the two games.. 

Trinity boasts a potent offense that features McGuckin, the 2023 NESCAC Rookie of the Year, who has a team-high 54 goals and 15 assists for a team-high 69 points in her first collegiate season.  Ives has 51 goals and 14 assists for 65 points, while Lampert has 32 goals and eight assists, junior midfielder Casey Ward (Norwell, Mass.) adds 27 goals and 12 assists, and sophomore attacker Brooke Kurtz (Alexandria, Va.) has 10 goals and a team-high 23 assists.  Ward is a fantastic all-around player with 39 draw controls, 23 ground balls, and 19 caused turnovers and junior midfielder Caitlyn Buermann (West Caldwell, N.J.) has a team-high 52 draw controls.  McGuckin was named the 2023 NESCAC Rookie of the Year and received All-NESCAC First Team recognition, while Ives and Ward graced the All-NESCAC Second Team, and McGuckin and Ward received USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American Honorable Mention recognition. 

The Bantam lineup is experienced and consistent with 11 players starting all 18 games this spring, including senior tri-captains Fair, Ives, and Molly Broderick (Rye, N.Y.) and senior Alisyn McNamara (North Hampton, N.H.) on defense and Vitale. Junior Quincy Connell (New Canaan, Conn.) and Hark have also started every game this spring, and Connell highlights the defense with a team-high 25 caused turnovers and 27 ground balls.  Fair, Hark and McNamara each have 18 caused turnovers and McNamara adds 25 ground balls.  Vitale and Macdougal have combined for 124 saves and a 9.67 GAA to form an effective tandem in goal for Trinity.  Connell was selected for the USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American Honorable Mention last week.

Top-ranked Middlebury, under the direction of former Bantam head coach by Kate Livesay Season), is undefeated at 19-0 and has won 24 games in a row.  The Panthers downed Gettysburg, 18-5, in the NCAA Second Round over the weekend. Trinity is 19-25 all-time against the Panthers including an 18-5 setback against them in Hartford on March 18.  No. 12-ranked Colby is 13-5 and No. 6-ranked College of New Jersey is 16-3.  The Mules defeated Babson in their NCAA opener on Sunday, 20-8, and the Lions.won, 14-6, against Messiah to reach this stage.  Trinity is 28-14 in its history against Colby with a pair of narrow setbacks (12-11 and 12-10) on the road in 2023.  Versus TCNJ, Trinity is perfect in four meetings including an 11-6 win the last time they played in the 2016 NCAA Quarterfinals.