#6 George Mason (10-7, 4-5 A-10) vs. #3 Davidson (10-6, 7-2 Atlantic 10)
WHEN: Thursday, 3 p.m.
WHERE: Rooney Field; Pittsburgh, Pa.
LAST MEETING: Davidson won, 16-6, on April 6, 2024 in North Carolina
LIVE STATS: LINK
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL: LINK
FAIRFAX, Va. – For the first time since 2019, the George Mason women's lacrosse team will make an appearance in the Atlantic 10 postseason. After earning the sixth seed, the Patriots will take on third-seed Davidson in the quarterfinals.
Despite dropping its' regular season finale to Saint Joseph's, who earned the fourth-seed, Mason did enough in the regular season to secure the final spot in the post season. VCU, St. Bonaventure and George Mason all finished the regular season at 4-5, and via tie breaker, the Rams earned the fifth seed and the Patriots earned the sixth.
Davidson closed the regular season with a dominant 15-5 win over Duquesne to finish the regular season at 7-2, earning the third seed in the tournament, its' best finish in school history.
During the regular season, the Wildcats used strong second and third quarter to pull away from the Patriots en route to a 16-6 win. All time, Davidson holds an 8-6 edge over Mason, including the last five-straight games. The two teams have only met once before in the postseason in 2017, when the Wildcats pulled out a 14-13 win in the quarterfinal round.
PATRIOT POINTS
- On Saturday, Shannon Tuozzo became the single-season record holder at George Mason for goals with 60. She also sits at second for single season points with 73 and single season draw controls with 96
- Four other Patriots have tallied 20+ goals: Dahlia Trippel (35), Chloe Reed (27), Peyton Farley (24) and Morgan Gunn (24)
- Defensively, Melanie Hutchinson has tallied a team-high 13 caused turnovers
- Three Patriots have scooped up 20+ ground balls on the season: Tuozzo (30), Meghan Deehan (27) and Ciara Curtis (23)
- Lauren Distad is second on the team with 87 draw controls, as she and Tuozzo are the only two teammates in the Atlantic 10 with 80+ draw controls each, while the team is second in the Atlantic 10 in draws per game
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Davidson enters the Atlantic 10 postseason as the three-seed after a 7-2 regular season. Led by Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year Jenna Skibbe and seven total honorees, the Wildcats posted the most conference wins in school history in 2024. Four players earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team: Skibbe, Kella McGrail, Brooke Ross and Kayla Joyce, while Allie Hartnett (First Team), Noelle Cegielski (First Team) and Josie Lambert (Second Team) also earned post season honors.
On offense, Lambert (49 goals) and Skibbe (41 goals) lead the team in scoring, as the two rank in the top five in the Atlantic 10 in total goals this season. Riley Cochrane and Julianna Carey lead the team with 19 assists each to go with 24 and 23 goals, respectively.
Three players have totaled 20+ caused turnovers and 20+ ground balls to anchor a veteran defense for the Wildcats: Cegielski (29 CT, 26 GB), Brynn Jones (25 CT, 31 GB) and Alyssa Natoli (20 CT, 28 GB). At the draw circle, Hartnett leads the team 37 draw control wins.
UP NEXT
The winner of Thursday's Quarterfinal game will take on second-seeded Richmond at 3 p.m. tomorrow, May 3.
