Storylines to Watch During the NCAA Division II Women's Semifinals

We’re down to the final four, and following Saturday’s quarterfinals, the NCAA committee has re-seeded the advancing teams to establish matchups for Thursday’s national semifinals in Salem, Va.

• Game 1, 4:30 p.m. — (1) Tampa vs. (4) UIndy   WATCH
• Game 2, 7:30 p.m. — (2) Slippery Rock vs. (3) Adelphi   WATCH

Thursday’s semifinal winners meet in Saturday’s national championship game at 5 p.m.

Here are four things to know about this week’s championship.

Three Prior Champions Still Playing

Over the past four years, NCAA Division II women’s lacrosse has crowned four first-time champions, but the percentages don’t favor that streak reaching five. Three-quarters of this year’s semifinalists (Adelphi, UIndy and Tampa) are prior champions, so the continuation of the streak in 2025 will depend completely on first-time NCAA qualifier Slippery Rock.

Tampa defeated Adelphi 13-8 in last year’s final, so if the Spartans and Panthers advance, it would set up the first championship game rematch in consecutive years since 2015. Ironically, defending champion Tampa could become the first back-to-back winner since Adelphi won consecutive titles in 2014 and 2015.

UIndy is back in the semifinals for the first time since 2022, when current head coach Peyton Romig played a pivotal role in leading the Greyhounds to the title. As the nation’s premiere draw specialist that season, the All-American midfielder dominated the championship game with 16 draw controls to help the Hounds to an 11-9 win, with Romig selected as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

Slippery Rock Keeps Making History

Call them Cinderella. Call them newcomers. Call them the underdog. It really doesn’t matter, because The Rock have happily embraced that mindset during their historic season. After going on the road to defeat East Stroudsburg in its first-ever NCAA tournament game, Slippery Rock then handed No. 1 West Chester its first loss of the year with a 16-13 victory in the Atlantic Region final.

“The mentality that we’ve had all year is that we’re the underdogs,” head coach Taryn Burkholder said. “I truly think our girls have bought into that all year. We’re going to keep having that underdog mentality.”

Now in her fourth year, Burkholder has led the Slippery Rock program to heights never achieved before. The Rock’s 33 victories over the past two seasons marks the most wins in a two-year stretch since the program launched in 1976, with this year’s 18-2 record setting a new record for wins for the second straight season.

“The culture in the locker room is the reason we are now playing in the final four,” Burkholder said. “It’s something truly special when you are part of that environment.”

Adelphi Loves the Final Four

The Panthers are the most decorated team in Division II women’s lacrosse, having won nine titles since the launch of the D-II championship in 2001, including three championships (2015, 2017, 2019) under the leadership of coach Pat McCabe. After building a 7-1 first-half lead against Pace in Saturday’s East Region final, the Panthers needed an overtime goal from Alexandra Leggio to punch their final four ticket for the second straight year and the seventh time in McCabe’s 11-year tenure.

As is typical for McCabe’s teams, the Panthers were a work in progress throughout this season, showing continued improvement after incurring heavy graduation losses from the 2024 lineup. Two losses during February’s swing through Florida, including a 20-6 setback at Tampa, highlighted the areas needing the most attention.

“I like this team a lot,” McCabe said. “They never stop, and they never quit. I’ve said all year that I’m proud of how this group keeps playing and fighting. We don’t change a lot here, which probably bores the players to death. We just stick to the program. It’s been a lot of fun to watch the evolution and development of this group. This is a special group of kids.”

The Panthers have been nearly perfect since the beginning of March, winning 17 of 18 games and carrying an 11-game winning streak into Thursday’s semifinal. It’s probably best not to bet against the Panthers in the close games either, as they are now 6-0 in one-goal contests.

Tampa Aims to Repeat

While it’s hard to peg a favorite heading into the semifinals, defending champion Tampa might be the team to beat. The Spartans have been nearly invincible this year, with an overtime loss at Embry-Riddle in late March as their only blemish. Tampa owns 15 wins over ranked opponents and successfully navigated the Sunshine State Conference gauntlet to claim its third league title.

Led by first-team All-American attacker Peyton Howell (85G, 22A), the Spartans feature the nation’s fifth-best scoring offense with 16.8 goals per game. They also have a top-10 defense, anchored by All-American defenders Lexi Waters and Isabella Avila. The return of standouts Sophi Wrisk and Sarah Engle, who both missed significant time this year due to injury, should also bolster Tampa in its quest for a second title.

“They are both really great players, so its nice to have them back and on the stat sheet,” Tampa head coach Kelly Gallagher said.

Thursday’s contest is the second meeting of the year between Tampa and UIndy, with the Spartans prevailing 16-11 at home on March 13. Since its 4-4 start, UIndy has won 11 of 13 games, including a 15-11 win at Maryville in last Saturday’s Midwest Region final to advance to the national semis for the second time in team history.

“Beating Maryville was obviously a great win for us, and we’re excited to keep going,” UIndy’s Romig said. “It takes a full team, with all 12 on the field and everyone on the bench, to make it happen, and that’s how we got here.”