BOSTON - For the first time since 2008, two America East women's lacrosse teams have earned bids to the NCAA Tournament as the bracket was unveiled Sunday night on NCAA.com. The NCAA announced the 26-team field that features 13 conference champions and 13 at-large bids.
America East champion Stony Brook earned the No. 6 seed and a bye to the second round. The Seawolves will host Princeton/Fairfield on Sunday, May 10 at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium at noon. Albany earned the second at-large berth in America East history and the first since 2008. The Great Danes will battle Penn at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse on Friday, May 8.
Eight sites will host first and second-round competition on May 8 and 10, and four quarterfinal games will be played May 16 or 17. These preliminary-round games will be played on the campuses of competing institutions. The winners of the four quarterfinal games will advance to the semifinals and final May 22 and 24 at PPL Park in Philadelphia, Pa.
Stony Brook (18-1) won its third-straight America East title to earn the conference's automatic bid, beating Albany, 11-8, on Sunday afternoon. The team has won NCAA games in back-to-back seasons, defeating Towson in both 2013 and 2014 in the first round. This will mark the third-straight season the Seawolves will play in the second round. Stony Brook leads the country in scoring defense at 5.37 goals allowed per game.
The Seawolves (16-3) defeated Albany, 7-1, in the America East title game on Sunday afternoon to earn the program's second-straight trip to the NCAA Championship. Stony Brook allowed just six goals over the two games of the America East Championship, setting a new tournament record.
Albany (14-4) is the second at-large selection from the America East and the first since New Hampshire in 2008. The Great Danes are a top-five offense in the country entering the tournament and their four losses have all come against top-20 teams this season. Albany is making its third NCAA appearance and first since 2012. The Great Danes beat Dartmouth in the NCAA first round in 2011.