BRISTOL, R.I. – There was a feeling that was equal parts surprised and thrilled in the Sailing Center on the Bristol Campus, as the #25 nationally ranked Roger Williams University Women's Lacrosse team was named as one of 18 teams out of the 46-team field to earn an opening round bye in the 2022 NCAA Division-III Women's Lacrosse Tournament. The back-to-back champions of the Commonwealth Coast Conference saw themselves instantly match their top finish in the national tournament with the bye as they draw #16 nationally ranked SUNY-Cortland who defeated Western Connecticut State in the tournament's opening round.
 
"This season has been a culmination of hard work and sacrifice," Head Coach Amanda Magee '10 said. "These young women give their all day in and day out and I know they will never give up, that mentality is something very special. When you have a group that all has that mentality you can do some big things and that is what we are looking to do today."
 
The Hawks have soared to unseen heights this season, cracking into the national rankings, and winning a program-high 16 games, all after a narrow, season-opening defeat at the hands of Springfield College, as they picked up wins over tournament qualifiers #9 nationally ranked Colby College and MASCAC Champion Framingham State along the way to stand at 16-1 on the year. They automatically match their program-best finish in the tournament from last spring, when they defeated Westfield State in the opening round before falling to eventual national-finalist Tufts University in the round of 32.
 
RWU will seek to one-up themselves and break into the Sweet-16 for the first time on Sunday when they clash with SUNY Cortland. The hosting Red Dragons dispatched of Western Connecticut State University, 18-8 on Saturday afternoon, exploding out of the gates with ten unanswered goals, and barely slowing down from there to advance to the round of 32.
 
For The Hawks
Roger Williams has had an outstanding season on both sides of the ball in their first season under Head Coach Amanda Magee '10, as they are one of just four teams in the nation to rank within the top-ten in both scoring offense and defense. On the offensive side, the Hawks are seventh in the nation scoring 18.76 goals per game this season. On the less glorious side of the ball, RWU is also seventh allowing a mere 6.29 tallies per contest resulting in a 12.47 scoring margin that is the fourth best in the nation.
 
When on the attack, the Hawks exceptional at passing leading to balance and efficiency and they are able to tap into their offense often thanks to their effectiveness on the draw and when clearing. RWU picks up a robust 18.24 draws per contest, the sixth-most in Division-III Women's Lacrosse, while allowing just 10.00 while also being successful on 85.4% of their clear attempts. When they get going, the team can seemingly get on the attack at will, and when they get there, they convert at a healthy, .533 rate that is good for eighth in the nation. Roger Williams is also tremendous when they are given free-position chances as they score at a rate of .581, the fifth highest in the country.
 
"We want to share the wealth and set each other up for success," Magee said. "We have had a balanced attack this year and I am excited to see how we will capitalize on our offensive threats."
 
RWU's potent offensive attack is headed by the Commonwealth Coast Conference's Offensive Player of the Year, Mandy Beck (Old Saybrook, Conn.). The CCC's leader in total points (76) and the lone player within the league's top-seven in both goals and assists, Beck has scored multiple goals in all but one game all season with that lone contest occurring in the team's third game of the season. Dynamic and consistent, the junior has a team-best 52 goals this spring to rank fourth in the CCC while assisting on 24 others to rank sixth. Beck is also 7-for-13 on free position attempts and owns a .491 shooting percentage.
 
While Beck is the headliner, she gets plenty of help as one of four Hawks to eclipse the 40-goal plateau. Devon Sarazin (Falmouth, Maine) and Lily Cunningham (Melrose, Mass.) are knotted up for second on the squad in scoring output this season with 45 goals a piece to sit tied for sixth in the CCC in total goals. An All-CCC Second Team selection, Sarazin posted a career-high in goals scored, by taking advantage of her chances at a high rate with 86.7 of her shot attempts being on goal and 54.2% finding the back of the net and is an undisputed leader for the squad. She has added 16 helpers this season to rank third on the team.
 
Cunningham has a bit of a different skillset though the results speak for themselves. The number-two player on the roster in goals per game (3.00) Cunningham exploded when the games mattered and has had a knack form coming through in the clutch. The All-CCC Second Teamer has combined for nine goals in RWU's pair of conference tournament contests and has four game-winning tallies on the season, a number that is tied with Ryleigh Cavanaugh (Manchester, N.H.) for the most on the team. She has converted on exactly 60% of her shot attempts this season she is efficient, and she is even better on freebees where she paces the team and ranks third in the league in free position tallies, converting on 15-of-22.  but there is a case that her defensive prowess is more vital to the team's success than her offensive game is. She leads Roger Williams with 25 caused turnovers this season to lead the team, adding 22 ground balls to rank third on the squad. The former mark is also good for a tie for fourth in the CCC while her 66 draw controls are the sixth-most in the leagues and second-most on the team.
 
The lone player who has bested Cunningham in draw controls on the team is Cavanaugh. A multi-talented player in and of herself. Cavanaugh is second in the CCC in draw controls this season with 87 and is a threat to score as RWU's fourth 40-plus goal scorer, totaling 42 while assisting on 14 others. The most efficient scorer in the CCC among those with 25 or more shot attempts, she has required a mere 66 shots to get to her goal total bringing her to a .636 shooting percentage.
 
Setting up all of these talented scorers is Nikki Norton (Braintree, Mass.). She ranks second in the CCC and tied for 38^th in the nation by dishing out 40 assists this season but is a scoring threat herself when she decides to. Her 28 goals may be fifth on the roster, but it is also good for a tie for 22^nd in the CCC.
 
Karli Chapin (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) and Brooke McErlain (Hampton, N.H.) are also significant piece. of the Hawks' offensive attack. With all the attention drawn by all the other offensive pieces, Chapin gets some good looks and takes advantage. Among players with 35 or more shot attempts, there is only one player in the CCC who gets a higher percentage of their shots on net than Chapin's mark of .884, and she converts at a .558 clip. Chapin has piled up 24 goals and 13 assists this season for Roger Williams and came up with some very timely scores in the team's conference championship game.
 
McErlain is an endline-to-endline problem for the opposition who is equally disruptive on both sides of the ball. She has tallied 23 goals this season while sitting second on the Hawks in both caused turnovers, with 22, and ground balls, with 40, with those marks being good for ninth and tenth in the conference respectively. McErlain has also collected 30 draw controls, the fifth-most on the squad, and the all-conference second team selection has really hit her stride lately. The junior has found the back of the net in seven of the team's last eight contests including five multi-score outings in that span.
 
Alongside McErlain defensively is Kimmy Creegan (Ramsey, N.J.) and Abby Cunningham (Melrose, Mass.). Creegan was selected to the All-CCC Second Team by pacing the team with 41 ground balls this spring, a number that has her tied for eighth in the CCC. Both players are strong and disciplined defenders who trust their fundamentals and maintain quality positioning and as a result neither has drawn a card this season and are the only two field players with ten or more starts this season who have not.
 
One cannot discuss the RWU defense without mentioning senior Madi Drain (Waterboro, Maine). An All-CCC First Team honoree in each of her three seasons in Bristol, Drain is a gameplan-wrecker defensively. The Hawks' best one-on-one defender is quick and stout while also ensuring organization defensively. She owns 20 caused turnovers, the 12^th-most in the conference and has scooped up 27 ground balls. While neither of those numbers exactly leap off the stat sheet, Drain is a certified disruptive force that teams often opt to avoid instead of challenge.
 
"Defensively, we need to lock down our one-on-one defense," Magee said. They have a lot of good offensive threats and do a lot of slashing, so we need to communicate through the entire possession."
 
Anchoring things in net for Roger Williams is the top goalkeeper in the Commonwealth Coast Conference, and one of the best in the nation in Hannah Goodwin (Bradford, Mass.). The first-team all-conference selection has taken her game to another level this season allowing a mere 6.65 goals per game, the fifth-best mark in Division-III Women's Lacrosse, and the best in the conference. And while an argument can be made that it is in part caused by her not getting challenged very often, she backs it up with a save percentage of 50.5% to rank 29^th in the nation.
 
For The Red Dragons
SUNY Cortland is plenty familiar with the dance as this marks their 24^th overall berth to the NCAA Tournament, and they are doing so under a first-year head coach of their own in Kelsey Van Alstyne. The Red Dragons showcases an offense that scores an average of 15.11 goals per game, a mark that ranks 48^th in the nation, doing so by shooting at a .484 rate that is good for 37^th nationally.
 
"I am expecting Cortland to come out very hot and ready to defend their home turf," Magee said. "At this point in the season everyone is good, and we must focus on what we do well and play 60 minutes of Hawks lacrosse."
 
Leading Cortland's offensive attack is graduate student Hannah Lorenzen (Stony Brook, N.Y.), a shifty attacker who paced the State University of New York Athletic Conference in goals this season, totaling 65 scores, of those seven have been game-winners, whole also assisting on 26 goals, a number that is good for a tie for seventh in the SUNYAC. An all-conference first team selection, Lorenzen is incredibly active on the draw, leading the team and ranking tied for second in draw controls with 83. In addition, she is one of a quintet of 30 goal scorers for the Red Dragons.
 
The team's second-leading scorer is a dynamic offensive threat of her own in Lauren Hopsickler (Burnt Hills, N.Y.). SUNY Cortland's top distributer has issued 30 assists this season, good for third in the conference while her 44 goals are tied for 8^th on her way to an All-SUNYAC First Team selection. She is efficient with her scoring chances, converting at a .564 rate.
 
Toni Cashman (East Moriches, N.Y.) is the polar opposite of Hopsickler, finding the net on just 38.1% of her shots but the results are nearly the same as a third member of the 40-goal/20-assist club. An athletic and aggressive attacker, Cashman is quick and features a rocket of a shot that factors into her inefficiency but if it works, it works as evidenced by her All-SUNYAC Second Team selection.
 
Just missing the aforementioned 40/20 group is Hannah Keech (Penn Yan, N.Y.). Another all-conference second team selection, Keech has 38 goals and 19 helpers this season. She is also a key defensive contributor with 20 caused turnovers, second on the team, adding 36 draw controls and 23 ground balls.
 
The Red Dragons' most efficient offensive contributor this season is Gabby Meager (Syracuse, N.Y.). She has scored at a .604 clip this season, the best on the roster among those with at least 25 shot attempts, on her way to 32 goals. Meager will draw free position attempts often and takes advantage, ranking second on Cortland in free position goals while being tied for third in attempts.
 
No matter how good SUNY Cortland's offense is, their team's success begins and ends on the defensive side of things. They only have surrendered 7.58 goals per game this spring, a number that is good for a tie for 22^nd in the nation.
 
Their backstop is the hometown product Paige Potter (Cortland, N.Y.) the All-SUNYAC Second Team selection is 18^th in the country with a 7.71 goals against average that is backed up with a .450 save percentage to rank third in the conference.
 
Corland's top individual defender is Kayla Sweeney (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) while alongside her is Amanda Squillini (Stony Point, N.Y.). Sweeney has 15 caused turnovers and 28 groundballs this season while Squillini had 14 and 28. While those numbers do not exactly jump off the page, they are high-caliber defenders and were named to the All-SUNYAC First and Second Teams respectively.
 
The RWU offense will need to also be aware of where Madelyn Czyz (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) is at all times. An all-conference third teamer, Czyz features an active stick that has lead to her leading the Red Dragons with 31 caused turnovers and 38 groundballs in addition to corralling 50 draw controls, the second most on the team.
 
How To Follow Along
Roger Williams and SUNY Cortland will face off on Sunday, beginning at 1:00 PM at the Cortland Stadium Complex on Sunday.
 
If you cannot make it in person, you can follow along online.
 
VIDEO: https://www.cortlandreddragons.com/sports/2019/8/15/BlueFramePage.aspx
 
LIVE STATS: https://www.cortlandreddragons.com/sidearmstats/wlax/summary