Favorites Advance in WCLA Division I National Tournament

WICHITA, Kan. — A long opening day, hampered throughout by steady rain and showers, eventually saw most of the higher-seeded teams advance at the USA Lacrosse WCLA championship tournament Wednesday.

Six of the top eight Division I seeds were victorious, moving into Thursday’s national quarterfinals. The only two that didn’t advance were felled in one-goal losses.

Making its first tournament appearance since 2016, UC Santa Barbara loudly announced its return by upsetting two-time champion Michigan, 12-11 in overtime. The Gauchos tied the game with 1:31 left in regulation on a free position goal by Brooke Ellis, then secured the win on the first possession in overtime on freshman Grace Imrie’s low backhand shot.

For many years, UC Santa Barbara was one of the long-time staples in the WCLA, qualifying every year from 2004 through 2016, including a national runner-up finish in 2013. Despite its recent absence, UCSB still ranks sixth in most all-time tournament victories, with 17.

Boston College, champion in 2022 and 2023, arrived in Wichita as the five seed after finishing as runner-up in the Northeast Women’s Lacrosse League. Led by a balanced offense that featured four players with two goals each, BC defeated Virginia Tech, 12-9 on Wednesday, avenging their loss to the Hokies in last year’s opening round.

“We definitely thought about last year’s game when we were playing today,” said BC’s All-America goalie Finley Carter. “We were really motivated to win this first game against them.”

The Eagles will try to continue their run with a matchup Thursday against No. 13 Florida, which pulled off the biggest upset of the day by downing No. 4 Northeastern, 6-5. Keely Naus’ free position goal with 17 seconds was the game-winner for the Gators, one of four teams that qualified from the Southeastern Women’s Lacrosse League.

The SWLL actually enjoyed a perfect day, with all four of its teams advancing to the quarterfinals.  No. 3 Clemson defeated Pittsburgh, 17-11, and No. 6 Central Florida blitzed Arizona State, 17-5, to join Georgia and Florida in the winner's bracket. UCF's senior attacker Amanda Turner registered the best individual performance on opening day, finishing with five goals and five assists to power the Knights to victory. 

Despite the poor weather conditions, No. 1 seed Georgia and No. 2 UCLA both remained unbeaten on the season with relatively easy wins.

Georgia dominated from start to finish in its 18-3 victory over No. 16 Washington. Ten Bulldogs scored, led by three goals apiece from national attacker of the year Kayleigh Page and junior Mia Pisani.

The Bulldogs advance to play Utah, which broke away from San Diego State for a 13-10 win. Senior Masen Carey led the Utes with six goals, including four in the decisive second half, while midfielder Payton King kept SDSU close with a game-high seven goals.  

Defending champion UCLA flexed its muscle early and often in its opening game, jumping to an 8-1 first quarter lead on the way to a 19-4 win over Texas A&M. All-America midfielder Caroline Underwood led the barrage with five goals and two assists, while Amelia Anhalt added four goals and Kaitlyn Bray added three.

Seeking to become just the fourth back-to-back champion in the 25-year history of the WCLA championship, UCLA faces No. 10 seed UC Santa Barbara on Thursday.

FIRST ROUND SCORES

No. 1 Georgia 18, No. 16 Washington 3 
No. 2 UCLA 19, No. 15 Texas A&M 4 
No. 3 Clemson 17, No. 14 Pittsburgh 11 
No. 5 Boston College 12, No. 12 Virginia Tech 9 
No. 6 Central Florida 17, No. 11 Arizona State 5 
No. 8 Utah 13, No. 9 San Diego St. 10 
No. 10 UC Santa Barbara 12, No. 7 Michigan 11 (ot)  
No. 13 Florida 6, No. 4 Northeastern 5

QUARTERFINAL SCHEDULE

All games start at 12 p.m. Central on Thursday

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

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.