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BOSTON – Fresh off the program’s first #AEWLAX Title since 2012, UAlbany women’s lacrosse faces off against No. 12 Virginia in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday evening at 8 PM ET on the campus of the University of Denver.
The 12-6 Great Danes earned their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2017 and fifth overall with Sunday’s dramatic 14-13 win over No. 2 Binghamton behind five goals apiece from Sarah Falk and Shonly Wallace. The win, giving UAlbany its third America East title, snapped a nine-game losing streak in the conference final. Katie Pascale, who scored 12 points in the Great Danes' semifinal win against New Hampshire, was named Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
Overall, UAlbany is 1-4 in five NCAA Tournament games, with their one victory coming in the 2011 First Round at Dartmouth, 10-7. UAlbany narrowly missed a second NCAA Tournament victory in 2015, falling 11-10 in overtime against Penn at Syracuse.
The Cavaliers are the 12th-ranked team in the latest national media poll, going 11-6 this season with a 6-3 mark in the ACC. Since starting the year unbeaten through six games, Virginia has gone 5-6 overall, including their most recent defeat in the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament to five-seed Notre Dame. Seven Cavaliers have scored 20 or more points this season, six more than 40, and three more than 60, led by Rachel Clark's 73 total points.
As a program, Virginia has won three national titles, made six appearances in the title game, and 13 trips to the national semifinal, most recently in 2014. Virginia will be making its third-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and 35th overall. Since making the semifinal round in 2014, Virginia has not advanced past the Second Round in seven-straight Tournament appearances. As a program, Virginia has recorded 562 victories, third most in Division I history. Virginia and UAlbany are meeting for the first time in history, but UAlbany holds a 3-26 lifetime record in 29 games against five ACC opponents, with 16 defeats coming against Syracuse.
This season Katie Pascale leads the Great Danes with 82 points on 45 goals and 37 assists, to go along with a school-record 127 draw controls. Sarah Falk has a team-high 61 goals and six assists, while Shonly Wallace has scored 50 goals with four assists. Grace Cincebox has come on strong in goal lately, starting both tournament games and owns a 13.16 GAA with a .372 save percentage and a 6-1 overall record.
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