It’s a Spartie Celebration in the WCLA Championship’s Opening Round

NAPLES, Fla. — There were lots of close games, but ultimately few surprises on day one of the USA Lacrosse WCLA championship tournament. Seven of the top eight Division I seeds were victorious at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex.

The best game of the day, however, involved the only high seed that failed to advance.

No. 13 Michigan State registered the most dramatic win of the first round, scoring 1:12 into overtime to upset No. 4 UCLA, 17-16, on a transition goal by senior Cassidy Yoder. Following a UCLA turnover, Yoder carried the ball into the offensive end, dodged two defenders, then netted the winner to send the Spartans into the quarterfinals.

Ironically, the overtime goal in the national tournament may not even be Yoder’s favorite game-winner of the year. Her other winner was against arch-rival Michigan in triple overtime in March. She said that moment was far from her mind as she raced down the field Tuesday.

“My only thought was that we need to score, and seeing no girls in front of me with a shot at goal, I was going to take it,” she said. 

Trailing 16-13 with just over four minutes remaining, UCLA’s furious rally yielded three late scores and forced overtime on Carson Cann’s sixth goal of the game with 35 seconds remaining. The Bruins carried momentum into the extra period but couldn’t convert on either of their possessions. That set the stage for Yoder.

“When we’re down, we are able to keep our composure. There’s no panic,” Yoder said. “I’m so proud of this team. We have great unity.”

Highlights from other Division I games:

• The drama in the game between Clemson and Cal Poly wasn’t quite as intense, but it also featured a strong comeback. No. 6 Clemson controlled most of the first half while building a 6-1 lead, but five straight Cal Poly goals in the second half tied the score. Clemson’s Abby Yfantopulos then ended a 20-minute Tiger scoring drought with an unassisted goal with 3:44 left that proved to be the game winner.
• Top-seeded UC Santa Barbara cruised past No. 16 Oregon State in its opener, posting a 15-3 victory, with Kayla Carpenter scoring three goals and three others adding two each for the Gauchos. UCSB advances into the quarterfinal round to face No. 8 Georgia in a rematch of a game played in Arizona in February. The Gauchos defeated Georgia 16-9 in that contest. UGA beat its SWLL rival Auburn 10-6 in Tuesday’s opening round with senior attacker Kay Page scoring a game-high four goals.
• Defending champion Boston College had a narrow 5-4 lead on No. 15 Penn State at halftime but erupted in the second half to pull away for a 16-7 win. The Eagles (11-0) are the last undefeated Division I team and continue their chase for a fourth title in five years with a quarterfinal matchup against No. 7 Virginia Tech. The Hokies advanced with a 16-11 win over San Diego State.

Tuesday’s Division I Opening Round Scores

No. 1 UC Santa Barbara def. No. 16 Oregon State, 15-3
No. 2 Boston College def No. 15 Penn State, 16-7
No. 3 Florida def No. 14 Texas A&M, 17-6
No. 5 Michigan def No. 12 Utah, 12-6
No. 6 Clemson def No. 11 Cal Poly, 5-6
No. 7 Virginia Tech def No. 10 San Diego State, 16-11
No. 8 Georgia def No. 9 Auburn, 10-6
No. 13 Michigan State def No. 4 UCLA, 17-16 (OT)

The Division I tournament utilizes a single-elimination bracket, with first round winners advancing to Wednesday’s national quarterfinals. Losing teams move into a consolation bracket and continue to play to determine their final tournament placement.

Wednesday’s Division I Quarterfinals

All games start at 12 p.m. Eastern

UC Santa Barbara (15-3) vs. Georgia (11-6)
Boston College (11-0) vs. Virginia Tech (8-2)
Florida (13-2) vs Clemson (10-2)
Michigan (12-3) vs Michigan State (13-3)

In Division II, first-time tournament qualifier Tampa was the headliner, upsetting No. 2 seed Montana State 11-8. Junior midfielder Alexis Jones led the way for the Spartans with a game-high five goals, including three in the first quarter, as No. 7 seed Tampa seized control early.

“We came into this game prepared and ready, and we were confident,” Jones said. “Our chemistry this season has been amazing, and we’ve worked very hard to just get better as the season went along. I think the biggest thing is just wanting it, and we’ve really wanted to have success this year.”

In Division II, the tournament format calls for the 12 teams to be divided into four pods of three teams each. Following round-robin play within each pool, the winner of each pod advances to the semifinal round. 

The undefeated Spartans (10-0) can advance to the national semifinals if they defeat No. 11 San Diego in Wednesday morning’s matchup, while Montana State, the top-ranked team for most of the year and last year’s national runner-up, will need help in order to advance.

Top-seeded Denver was nearly an upset victim as well in its opening game, tied with No. 8 UC Davis late into the fourth quarter. Junior Catherine Manning saved the Pioneers, scoring two goals 90 seconds apart in the final five minutes to lift Denver to a 10-8 win.

The Pioneers added a second pool play victory against No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast later in the day, 19-7, to advance into Wednesday afternoon’s semifinal round.

With a 2-0 record on opening day that included wins over Air Force and Fullerton, No. 3 UC San Diego also secured its spot in Wednesday’s semifinal. The final two semifinal spots will be determined based on final pool play results on Wednesday morning.

Tuesday’s Division II Scores

No. 1 Denver def No. 8 UC Davis, 10-8
No. 3 UC San Diego def No. 6 Air Force Academy, 14-8
No. 5 Missouri (10-0) def No. 4 Concordia Irvine, 14-4
No. 7 Tampa def No. 2 Montana State, 11-8.
No. 1 Denver def No. 12 Florida Golf Coast, 19-7
No. 2 Montana State def No. 11 San Diego, 18-10
No. 3 UC San Diego def No. 10 Fullerton, 9-6
No. 4 Concordia Irvine def No. 9 Charleston, 9-8

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.  

USA Lacrosse is providing video streaming of all D-I and D-II games throughout the tournament. Streaming packages, ranging from single-game viewing to a full tournament pass, can be purchased at USALacrosseTV.com.  

Additionally, USA Lacrosse uses SportsEngine Tourney to provide live scores and tournament updates for the 2026 WCLA National Championships. The SportsEngine Tourney APP can be downloaded to your smartphone in order to access the latest information.  

Capelli Sport, CWENCH, Halpern Travel, Gait Lacrosse, GoLive Sports, N&D Sports, and SportsEngine serve as official event sponsors for the 2026 USA Lacrosse WCLA Championships, with local support provided by Florida’s Paradise Coast – Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention & Visitors Bureau.