GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Vanderbilt lacrosse team battled the No. 16 Jacksonville Dolphins in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but fell by a 20-12 margin. It was the first appearance in the postseason invitational since 2010.
“As a staff, we couldn’t be more proud,” Vanderbilt head coach Beth Hewitt said. “The senior class has done so much for this program. They took us leaps and bounds this year. To get that huge step to get into the NCAA Tournament was massive for our program. We couldn’t ask for anything more at this point. It’s a process and we’re building it. It’s a huge step in the right direction to be here, and now we have to get better from it.”
The Dolphins raced out to the game’s first goal three minutes in. Callie Sundin found the back of the net from an Elizabeth Scarrone pass just shy of five minutes later to level the scoring.
Four minutes later, the Dores took their first lead of the game from Ella Smith. Sundin, Maddie Souza and Bri Gross also added goals to increase the margin to 5-2.
Following a timeout, Jacksonville used a six-goal run to seize momentum going into the intermission.
Vanderbilt and Jacksonville split eight goals to start the final half. The Dores’ four came from Smith, Fornia, Souza and Paige Finneran.
📸 Ella Smith’s second goal. #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/2DML7IaWmh
— Vanderbilt Lacrosse (@VandyLacrosse) May 15, 2021
The Commodores’ comeback attempt was thwarted when Jacksonville used a quick four-goal spurt to put the game out of reach.
Smith paced the Vanderbilt scoring with a hat trick. Gross, Smith, Souza and Sundin added two goals apiece. Fornia and Griffin Gearhardt led the Dores with two assists each.
Paige Gunning stopped 10 shots from the Dolphins to bring her season total to 177 saves, breaking Vanderbilt’s single-season record of 176 set by Emily Lough in 2001.
Vanderbilt concludes the season with a 12-7 mark, tied for the second-most wins in program history.
“As a staff, we couldn’t be more proud.”
❤️ From @hewittba14VU about her team’s effort last night in the NCAA Tournament. #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/izYC7OrfgW
— Vanderbilt Lacrosse (@VandyLacrosse) May 15, 2021
