Women’s Lacrosse: #2N Norwich University vs. #3S Dean College – GNAC Quarterfinal preview

NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The #2N-seeded Norwich University women’s lacrosse team (14-2, 10-1 GNAC, 6-1 North Division) will host #3S Dean College (8-8, 5-6 GNAC, 5-2 South Division) for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament Quarterfinal game on Saturday, Apr. 26, at 1:00 p.m. on Sabine Field at Haynes Family Stadium in Northfield, Vt.

The Cadets enter the postseason for the 17th consecutive year, a streak dating back to 2008, and will look to capture their first GNAC Championship and NCAA Tournament berth since 2012.  Under fourth-year Head Coach Ian Thomas, Norwich is seeking a second postseason win in as many years after last year’s GNAC Play-In victory over Simmons.  Dean, under second-year Head Coach Justin Dionne, returns to the postseason after missing the 2024 Tournament, and is still in search of its first GNAC Tournament victory since joining the league in 2020-21.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Norwich:

• The Cadets look to bounce back after their 15-10 loss to Emmanuel College in Tuesday’s regular season finale, which marked their first conference defeat and ended a 12-game winning streak.  Eight different Cadets scored, led by two goals each from Caitlyn Fielder (East Calais, Vt.) and Breanna Ricker (Laconia, N.H.).  Norwich played the Saints to an 8-8 halftime draw and trailed 12-10 entering the fourth, but Emmanuel blanked the Cadets in the final 20 minutes to secure the win.  Prior to Emmanuel, during the month of April, the Cadets have secured six victories, including a pair of crucial North Divisional victories over Saint Joseph’s College of Maine and Rivier University.
• Norwich boasts one of the nation’s most disruptive defenses, leading all of Division III in caused turnovers (321), averaging 20.06 per game.  The Cadets have posted 20 or more caused turnovers in nine contests, including a season-high 29 against Anna Maria.  Celine Juneau (Chazy, N.Y.) and Lindsey Parker (Wells, Maine) anchor the defense, with 40 and 38 caused turnovers, respectively, ranking both in the top 55 nationally.  Norwich also ranks third in the GNAC in ground balls with 384, with Juneau (45) and Parker (40) again leading the team.

Dean:

• The Bulldogs enter Saturday’s match-up after a 14-4 loss to Simmons University in their regular season finale.  Natalie Peterson scored twice, while Nina Medeiros and Haley Gaunt added a goal apiece.  Dean opened the contest with a quick strike from Peterson, but Simmons responded with eight unanswered to take control.  Dean is on the hunt for its first victory since an Apr. 12 win at Albertus Magnus College, having also dropped home contests to JWU (Providence) and Saint Joseph’s College of Maine prior to falling at Simmons.
• Dean’s strength lies in the draw circle, having registered double-digit draw controls in 14 of 16 games.  The Bulldogs are 7-3 when winning 14 or more draws, and 1-5 otherwise.  Medeiros leads the charge with 95 draw controls, second in the GNAC and among the top 65 nationally in Division III, highlighted by 10 in a win over Albertus Magnus and six or more in 11 games this season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Norwich:

• The Cadets’ attack is fueled by Vermont natives Ellie Moriarty (Stowe, Vt.) and Caitlyn Fielder, both of whom have surpassed the 60-point mark.  Moriarty has tallied 35 assists, second in the GNAC and top 50 nationally, and broke the program’s all-time assists record earlier this season, now sitting at 92.  She currently owns 63 points (28 goals, 35 assists).  Fielder, meanwhile, has been an all-around force on the field, recording 47 goals and 13 assists for 60 points, while also notching 39 ground balls, 30 caused turnovers and 85 draw controls.
• Norwich features 11 players with 10 or more points.  Vivian Buntin (Middlebury, Conn.), Athena Merck, and Quinn Mustone (Medford, Mass.) all sit above the 30-point threshold.  Buntin has 41 points (22 goals, 19 assists), Merck owns 39 goals and nine assists, and Mustone contributes across the board with 33 points (27 goals and six assists), 31 caused turnovers, and 33 draw controls.

Dean:

• Natalie Peterson and Haley Gaunt have combined for over 90 goals this season.  Peterson has tallied 49 goals and 12 assists for 61 points, while also leading the team in ground balls (42) and ranking second in draw controls (54).  She posted a seven-goal effort against Mitchell College and six against Elms College.  Gaunt has scored in all 16 games, including a season-best five against the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), and has logged 11 hat tricks.
• Nina Medeiros and Emma Mock round out the Bulldogs’ impact players.  Medeiros has tallied 29 goals, six assists, 48 ground balls, and 95 draw controls, while Mock leads the team in caused turnovers (21) and ground balls (60), adding 22 goals and 11 assists.

BATTLE BETWEEN THE BARS:

• Bailey Manning-Ingala (West Hartford, Conn.) continues to etch her name in Norwich history, posting an 8.25 goals-against average and a 50.3 save percentage over 720 minutes.  Her 10-2 record ties her for second-most single-season wins in program history.  She has made double-digit saves in three contests and has held opponents under 10 goals in eight of 12 starts.  Her career numbers in saves (134), save percentage (49.6%), goals-against average (9.11), and wins (11) all rank in the top 10 in Norwich history.
• Shea Cassani has started 10 games for Dean, logging a 6-6 record with a 10.18 goals-against average and 53.9% save percentage.  She has made double-digit saves six times this season, including a season-high 27 stops in the Bulldogs’ finale at Simmons.  Cassani has limited teams to single-digit scoring seven times.

LAST TIME OUT:

• Norwich downed Dean, 15-10, back on Mar. 8 in the Cadets’ GNAC opener.  Athena Merck tallied a hat trick in the first quarter en route to a five-goal performance, while Vivian Buntin also scored five times.  The Cadets held leads of 9-4 at halftime and 13-6 entering the fourth quarter before weathering a late Bulldog push.  Ellie Moriarty dished out six assists in the win, while Caitlyn Fielder, Gianna Pesce (Williamstown, Mass.), and Julia Proto (Orange, Conn.), in addition to Moriarty, also scored.
• Dean saw seven players score in the loss, led by two goals apiece from Natalie Peterson, Nina Medeiros, and Emma Mock.  Shea Cassani made four saves and allowed six goals, while Allie Stockwell also saw action with nine goals allowed and four saves.

TALES FROM THE TURF:

• The Bulldogs made notable strides from last season’s 3-12 finish, riding a mid-season five-game win streak after a Mar. 16 loss to Lasell.  That run included three road wins by 15 or more goals.  Dean’s lone loss during that stretch was a narrow 16-11 defeat to Emmanuel College, in which the Bulldogs opened with a 3-0 run within two minutes.
• Norwich is enjoying one of its best seasons in program history, matching the 2012 squad with 14 wins while recording the program’s second-longest win streak.  The Cadets have held 12 opponents to single digits this season and have only surrendered more than 10 goals four times.  Their two losses, to Keene State College and Emmanuel College, also marked their highest goals allowed (16 and 15, respectively).
• Saturday’s match-up marks the fifth meeting in program history between the Cadets and Bulldogs and the first in postseason history, dating back to Apr. 27, 2022.  Since then, the Cadets have gone 3-1 against Dean, winning the last two outings which have been in Franklin, Mass., including a 15-10 win this season and a 15-9 win during the 2024 season.  The last time the Bulldogs came to Northfield yielded Dean’s lone loss over the Cadets, in a 15-14 overtime thriller on Apr. 26, 2023, in a contest where the Cadets held a 14-9 lead with 9:37 remaining before the Bulldogs closed regulation on a 5-0 run to force overtime before Haley Gaunt scored the game-winner in overtime to steal victory.  Norwich’s first meeting with the Bulldogs came on Apr. 27, 2022, when the Cadets claimed a 21-9 victory over Dean on the road.

GNAC TOURNAMENT BRACKET (Hosted by higher seeds):

• Thursday, Apr. 24 – PLAY-IN
  
  • #4N Colby-Sawyer def. #5N Simmons, 18-3
  • #4S Regis (Mass.) def. #5S University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), 16-6

• Saturday, Apr. 26 – QUARTERFINALS
  • #4N Colby-Sawyer at #1S JWU (Providence), 12:00 p.m.
  • #4S Regis (Mass.) at #1N Emmanuel, 3:00 p.m.
  • #3N Saint Joseph’s (Maine) at #2S Lasell, 11:00 a.m.
  • #3S Dean at #2 Norwich, 1:00 p.m.

• Wednesday, Apr. 30 – SEMIFINALS
  • #1S/4N/5N Winner vs. #2N/3S Winner, TBA
  • #1N/4S/5S Winner vs. #2S/3N Winner, TBA

• Saturday, May 3 – CHAMPIONSHIP
  

The winner of Saturday’s tilt will advance to face either #1S JWU (Providence) or #4N Colby-Sawyer in the GNAC Semifinals on Wednesday, Apr. 30, in a contest hosted by the higher seed.