SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Top-seeded Bryant and third-seeded UAlbany will play for the America East women’s lacrosse championship after both teams posted #AEWLAX semifinal wins on Friday evening at Bryant’s Beirne Stadium.
The Bulldogs dominated the second half to outlast No. 4 UMBC, 12-9, in the first semifinal, while UAlbany used a 6-0 second-quarter run en route to an 18-10 win over No. 2 UMass Lowell in the second semifinal.
UMBC jumped out to a 6-1 lead after one quarter of action, but Bryant fought back and outscored the Retrievers 7-1 over the final 19 minutes of the contest to earn the 12-9 victory and advance to their first title game.
UMass Lowell led 4-2 after the first quarter but UAlbany went on a 6-0 run in the second and scored 9 of the game’s next 11 goals overall to move on to its 14th-straight championship game.
No. 1 Bryant and No. 3 UAlbany will battle for the 2025 #AEWLAX Championship on Sunday, May 4 at 12 p.m. on ESPN+. The winner will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
#AEWLAX Semifinal Recaps
No. 1 Bryant 12, No. 4 UMBC 9
- UMBC scored three times in the first four minutes, including a pair by Katana Nelson. Bryant ended the run, but six more from the Retrievers made it a 6-1 contest at the end of the first.
- Bryant outscored UMBC 2-1 in the second, including an Amelia Piercy goal with 1:01 left to make it 7-3 at the half.
- The Bulldogs outscored UMBC 4-1 in the third, including the final two goals of the quarter to close the game to 8-7.
- Piercy tied it up 8-8 at 14:00, but Libby Staples gave the Retrievers back a 9-8 advantage.
- Gabriella Constant responded with back-to-back goals as Bryant took its first lead with 5:45 left. Riley O’Mara added a pair of scores late for the 12-9 final.
- O’Mara’s five points paced Bryant while Grace Bruce also had five for UMBC.
No. 3 UAlbany 18, No. 2 UMass Lowell 10
- After UAlbany scored the game’s first goal, UMass Lowell scored four the next five to take a 4-2 lead into the second quarter. Audra Hansen’s score with 3:19 left capped the spurt.
- The Great Danes scored the first six goals of the second quarter. Dylana Williams led the way with three goals in that spurt, including a tally with 4:46 left to give her team an 8-4 lead.
- After the River Hawks cut the deficit to 8-5 before the break, Mikaela Mooney and Williams stretch UAlbany’s lead to 10-5, it’s largest of the game at the time, in the third quarter.
- UMass Lowell made it 11-8 by the end of the third quarter but UAlbany scored the first five goals of the fourth quarter to put the game away.
- Khloe Roos led all scorers with six goals and seven points for UAlbany while Mooney and Williams each added four. Hansen led the River Hawks with four scores.
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