Navy Takes Down Loyola, Akron and Liberty Win First Conference Crowns

It turns out Navy’s double-overtime loss to Loyola in late March was a sign of things to come. It was no fluke, you see.

With the Mids out for revenge against the perennial top dog in the Patriot League, Mikayla Williams buried an overtime winner to earn Navy an automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament with a 14-13 win.

It was gutsy win for Cindy Timchal’s team. The Mids trailed 12-9 early in the fourth quarter but went on a 3-0 run to knot things at 12 with 4:21 to play. Georgia Latch put Loyola back in front with 1:02 remaining.

Tori DiCarlo worked her magic with 18 seconds left, tying things at 13, before Williams won it after the sides traded empty possessions to begin overtime.

Seven teams punched NCAA tournament tickets today. An eighth, third-seeded LIU, technically punched its ticket after the semifinals because their NEC title-game opponent — top-seeded Stonehill — is ineligible for the NCAA tournament during its transition phase to Division I.

Either way, it’s dancing season.

🎟️👊 CHAMPIONSHIP CLINCHERS

Teams that punched their tickets today:

(1) James Madison def. (2) South Florida 18-9 (AAC)
(3) Navy def. No. 1 Loyola 14-13 in OT (PATRIOT)
(1)  Stony Brook def. No. 2 Drexel 12-10 (CAA)
(2) Liberty def. No. 4 14-8 (ASUN)
(3) Akron def. No. 1 Robert Morris 11-10 in OT (MAC)
(1) Florida def. No. 3 Arizona State 21-10 (BIG 12)
(1) Denver def. No. 2 Villanova 14-9 (BIG EAST)
(3) LIU def. No. 1 Stonehill 14-9 (NEC)*

* LIU already clinched an AQ by advancing to the NEC title game, as Stonehill is not eligible for the NCAA tournament as part of its transition to Division I.

📈 NCAA TOURNAMENT IMPLICATIONS

Even the not-so-chalky results were … chalky.

Two No. 3 seeds upset No. 1 seeds — shoutout to Akron and Navy. While worth celebrating, they’re inconsequential in the bigger picture. The MAC was always going to be a one-bid league, and it was likely that Navy would earn an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament had Loyola won. And Loyola is clearly safe, too. So, status quo for now.

😮 BIGGEST UPSET

No. 3 Navy def. No. 1 Loyola, 14-13 (OT)

Loyola’s laughably long regular-season Patriot League winning streak of 93 is still very much alive — but this isn’t the regular season anymore. Navy has been the only conference foe to take down Loyola in the postseason during this stretch, rallying for a third conference championship on Saturday on Mikayla Williams’ OT winner. Navy last won Patriot League crowns by beating Loyola in 2017 and 2018. This is Cindy Timchal’s seventh conference title with the Mids.

🌟 TOP PERFORMANCES

Charlotte Sadler, Coastal Carolina — Sadler and the Chants may have bowed out, but Sadler impressed with a 17-save (54.8 SV%) performance.

Taiva ​Reinertson, Liberty — Reinertson became Liberty’s new single-season goals queen with a four-goal performance in the ASUN final. She has 54 goals this season, surpassing the mark of 52 set by Katy Pridemore in 2015. ​Reinertson added two assists to her ledger to lift the Flames to their first-ever NCAA tournament berth.

Maddie Epke, James Madison — Six goals, one assist and 10 draws is just business as usual for Epke, whose performance lifted James Madison to AAC glory.

Raegan Wilson, Denver — Wilson had three goals (on four shots) with three assists and buried both of her free position attempts, as Denver ousted Villanova to win the Big East.

Gianna Monaca, Florida — Monaco’s massive season continued with five goals and two assists in a 21-10 win over Arizona State. She’s up to 62 goals and 17 assists this year.

🚀 BREAKOUT STARS

Alyssa Chung, Navy

A freshman, Chung hasn’t played like a first-year at all this spring. Her five-goal performance in Navy’s OT win over Loyola gave her 65 goals on the season, and her goal with 4:21 left in regulation tied things at 12. If Chung wasn’t on your radar before, well, she should be now.

Clark Hamilton, Florida

Like Navy, Florida has leaned heavily on a freshman to do some big-time scoring. Hamilton, from Powder Springs, Ga,. dropped five goals in Florida’s 21-10 win over Arizona State to capture the inaugural Big 12 title. Hamilton has 50 goals on the year.

💔 TOUGHEST LOSS

No. 1 Stony Brook def. No. 2 Drexel, 12-10

Drexel once again played perennial conference tournament winner Stony Brook tight and received an eye-popping performance from Jennika Cuocco (18 saves) but fell 12-10. The Dragons went ahead 8-7 on a Kate Quinn goal from Bea Buckley, who broke Drexel’s single-season assist record, with 9:47 left in the third quarter, and tied the score at 10 when Buckley found Allison Drake for a goal at 10:06 of the fourth frame. However, Kylie Budke scored twice in the game’s final four minutes to secure the Seawolves’ third CAA championship in as many years since joining the league. 

Stony Brook has won its tournament final every year it's qualified for one since 2013, with the lone exceptions being 2020 (pandemic) and 2022 (deemed ineligible by America East officials because of its switch to the CAA). With the loss Drexel’s season is likely over — barring a gift from the NCAA Selection Committee.

📈 STAT OF THE DAY

17-plus saves in a loss

Two goalies tallied 17 or more saves in championship-game losses Saturday. Charlotte Sadler stopped 17 shots in the Atlantic Sun championship, where Coastal Carolina fell to Liberty. About an hour later, Jenika Cuocco of Drexel closed the door on an 18-save day, but the Dragons couldn’t upend defending champion Stony Brook in the CAA finals. Cuocco, a Long Island native, posted 17 saves in last year’s championship game, another loss to the Seawolves. The pair can commiserate with Maryland goalie JJ Suriano, whose 18 saves weren’t enough to push the Terps over Northwestern in the Big Ten championship last Sunday.

👋 WELCOME TO THE CLUB

Liberty will hear its name for the first time when the brackets are announced. The Flames beat defending Atlantic Sun champion Coastal Carolina 14--8 to punch their first-ever NCAA tournament ticket. Liberty lost to Jacksonville in the 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023 ASUN finals.

Akron will also make its first NCAA tournament appearance after coming from behind to upend MAC defending champion Robert Morris. The Zips also rallied to beat RMU in last weekend’s finale to clinch a share of the regular-season crown but were the third seed in the tournament. Akron trailed 9-4 at 8:42 of the third quarter but forced overtime after Noelle Boyd scored with 21 ticks on the clock. Sienna Hinchcliffe scored the winner in overtime. The Zips played in their first postseason game against Eastern Michigan on Thursday, a 15-4 win.

🔥 CLUTCH PLAY OF THE DAY

Sienna Hinchcliffe’s overtime winner against Robert Morris lifted Akron to its first MAC title and NCAA tournament berth. It capped a come-from-behind win in a game the Zips trailed 9-4 midway through the third quarter.