NESCAC Sends Five Teams into NCAA Division III Women's Quarterfinals

The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) has dominated NCAA Division III women’s lacrosse for most of the last two-plus decades and it appears 2026 will be no different. Five NESCAC schools advanced to the quarterfinal round with victories on Saturday, including four-time reigning champion Middlebury.

The lone NESCAC school to lose its third round game was Amherst, which was bested 11-9 by TCNJ, a school which has won 13 national championships, but is looking for its first since 2006.

• NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Bracket

Here are recaps of Saturday’s third round games:

Christopher Newport pulled off its second straight one-goal victory of the tournament, edging Denison 11-10 after a fast start. The Captains led 5-1 early before the Big Red stormed back with five straight goals to take a 6-5 lead on Maddie Chase’s player-up goal with 1:59 left in the first half. Brookelyn Morrison and Faith O’Connor answered with goals in the final 90 seconds of the half and CNU never trailed again in the back-and-forth game. Morrison and O’Connor each had hat tricks for the Captains.

Middlebury scored the first seven goals of the game and cruised to a 21-4 victory over Rowan. The Panthers improved to 20-0 for the season with the victory. Caroline Adams scored five goals, including the first of the game, and added an assist and seven draw controls to lead the Panthers. Maeve Lee added a career-high four goals.

Salisbury, the last non-NESCAC team to win the NCAA Division III women’s championship (2021), used a strong defensive effort to knock off York 10-5 and improve to a perfect 19-0 for the season.. Salisbury goalie Paige Ellis made eight saves in the win and Lauren Hackett (2g, 2a) led four players with two goals. Grace Doyle, Avery Dunbar and Miranda Mears were the others.

TCNJ reached the elite eight for the first time since 2022, using a seven-goal run that bridged halftime to beat Amherst 11-9. Trailing 5-3 in the second quarter, the Lions roared back with seven straight in a span of just over 12 minutes. Marissa Lucca, who had a game-high eight points on four goals and four assists, was dominant during the run with two goals and all four of her assists. Hailey Wexler made 12 saves for TCNJ.

Trinity fell behind 2-0 early, but then scored seven straight goals to take control in a 14-9 win over Pomona-Pitzer. Grace Denious (3g, 1a) and Sarah Marvin (2g, 2a) each had four points to pace the Bantams offense and Alison MacDougall made 10 saves. Trinity converted on 5 of 6 free position shots in the game.

Tufts stunned Gettysburg with 13 straight goals to open the game and beat the Bullets 16-7. The Bullets did not get on the scoreboard until the 6:18 mark of the third quarter. Eleanor Helm and Allie Zorn each had three goals and two assists for the Jumbos and both had their hat tricks during the game-opening scoring blitz.

Wesleyan scored the first five goals of the game and led wire-to-wire in a 14-7 victory over Chicago. Bridget Horst led the way with five goals and two assists and Cardinals goalie Izzy Weintraub made 12 saves in a game they won handily despite holding just a 26-25 advantage in shots.

Williams dominated the first half in a 16-5 victory over Colorado College, taking an 11-1 halftime lead. Sydney Puntus (3g, 2a) and Franny Donohue (2g, 4a) paced the offense, combining for 11 points. Williams starting goalie Charlotte Cote made six saves while allowing just two goals in 45 minutes of action.

Third-Round Scores

Christopher Newport 11, Denison 10 
Middlebury 21, Rowan 4 
Salisbury 10, York 5 
TCNJ 11, Amherst 9 
Trinity 14, Pomona-Pitzer 9 
Tufts 16, Gettysburg 7 
Wesleyan 14, Chicago 7 
Williams 16, Colorado College 5

Quarterfinals – May 17

Christopher Newport at Salisbury, 1 pm 
TCNJ at Middlebury, 1 pm 
Trinity at Wesleyan, 2 pm 
Williams at Tufts, 4:30 pm