Boston College, Clemson, Georgia, UCLA Reach WCLA D-I Semifinals

WICHITA, Kan. — Three years ago, Clemson launched its new women’s lacrosse varsity program, which has quickly established itself as a strong presence in the ACC and on the national scene. 

This week, the varsity Tigers make their NCAA tournament debut after a record-setting season.

While totally unconnected, the Clemson Club team’s rise over the past three years mirrors the success of its varsity sister. The Tigers have advanced to the WCLA championship tournament three times in the past four seasons, and Thursday, for the first time, the Tigers broke through to the national semifinals with a 11-8 win over Central Florida.

Clemson joins No. 1 seed Georgia, No. 2 UCLA and No. 5 Boston College in Friday’s WCLA Division I semifinals.

“We got a little taste of tournament success last year, so that served as motivation this season,” club president Kenzie Kowitz said. “We have some pretty intense practices because we want to play like we practice.”

After earning the number three seed for the national tournament, the Tigers opened play Wednesday with a win over two-time champion Pittsburgh. On Thursday, they built an early lead against league rival Central Florida and steadily took control in the second half, limiting the Knights to just three goals over the final 30 minutes.

While junior Brianna Bullard and the rest of the defense kept the Knights in check, Ava Kovolyan and Mia Connor scored three goals each to lead the Tigers’ offense.

Kowitz noted that playing in the competitive SWLL helps prepare Clemson for the challenges of the postseason.

“Playing in one of the top club leagues definitely prepares us for the Nationals,” Kowitz said. “We see a lot of very good teams during the year. That gives us a step up.”

The next step now for Clemson (13-2) is a match-up with defending champion UCLA in Friday evening’s semifinal.

The Bruins advanced with an 11-5 win over UC Santa Barbara, defeating their WWLL rival for the third time this season. Two early goals by All-America midfielder Caroline Underwood helped UCLA establish a 4-0 first quarter lead, and the Bruins never looked back. Underwood finished with a game-high four goals, while Amelia Anhalt and Kaitlyn Bray added two goals each.

UCLA (15-0) has scored 30 goals in its first two tournament games and moved one step closer to becoming just the fourth back-to-back champion in the 25-year history of the WCLA championship.

No. 1 seed Georgia also had an impressive showing, outscoring Utah 9-1 in the second half to claim a 15-6 win. National attacker of the year Kayleigh Page had three goals while Bryce Wilson and Mia Pisani had two each to pace the Bulldogs. Sophomore goalie Emily Weir finished with nine saves to frustrate Utah’s comeback efforts.

Georgia will now face a familiar foe in No. 5 Boston College, which beat Florida 8-5. The Bulldogs and Eagles met in the national final in both 2022 and 2023, and also played earlier this year in a game that Georgia won 16-8.

BC has won 11 of 13 games since that February contest, and benefitted from two goals by both Meghan Chase and Amelia Livingston in Thursday’s win over Florida.

Quarterfinal Scores

No. 1 Georgia 15, No. 8 Utah 6
No. 2 UCLA 11, No. 10 Santa Barbara 5
No. 3 Clemson 11, No. 6 Central Florida 8
No. 5 Boston College 8, No. 13 Florida 5

Semifinal SCHEDULE

Both games scheduled for Friday, May 9.

4 p.m. — Georgia (16-0) vs. Boston College (12-3)
7:30 p.m. — Clemson (13-2) vs. UCLA (15-0)

The WCLA is comprised of nearly 150 college club (non-varsity) teams from coast-to-coast that compete under the USA Lacrosse umbrella. From these, the most deserving Division I and Division II club teams qualify for the season-ending national championships, conducted annually since 2001 by USA Lacrosse.

Video streaming of all D-I and D-II games is available throughout the tournament. 

Lacrosse Specialties, Here We Flo, Powell Lacrosse, Gatorade, and GoLive Sports serve as official event sponsors for the 2025 USA Lacrosse WCLA Championships, with local support provided by Wichita Youth Lacrosse, Visit Wichita, and Chicken N Pickle of Wichita. In addition, STX provides support for the Elevate 28 youth clinic scheduled for Friday, May 9.