WLX: Lasell gears up for GNAC playoffs after Senior Day game suspended

NEWTON, Mass. – The Lasell University women's lacrosse team is gearing up for the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) playoffs on Saturday after the regular season finale Wednesday afternoon against Dean College was suspended in the second half due to rain and thunder at Grellier Field.

The Lasers were leading the Bulldogs 21-6 with approximately 18 minutes remaining in the second half when thunder forced the teams from the field. Heavy rains followed and the remainder of play was canceled. The game will not be made up and will not count in either team's record.

Prior to the game, Lasell celebrated Senior Day, recognizing senior Caitie Grady (Southbury, Conn.) and graduate students Morgan Choquet (Woonsocket, R.I.) and Chloe Shugrue (Worcester, Mass.). Graduate student Jordan McComb (Cumberland, R.I.) was recognized with her classmates on Senior Day in 2019.

Lasell now turns its attention to the GNAC playoffs, which begin with quarterfinal match-ups on Saturday, April 24, at the sites of the top four seeded teams, with no spectators allowed at any of the sites. The second-seeded Lasers, 5-1 overall and 5-1 in conference play, will host seventh-seeded Norwich University, 2-5 overall and 0-4 in the GNAC, Saturday at 4 p.m. at Grellier Field.

The first-round meeting between Lasell and Norwich is a rematch of this year's season opener, when the Lasers downed the Cadets, 23-6, at Grellier Field.

Other first-round match-ups include top-seeded Emmanuel College (7-0, 4-0) hosting eighth-seeded Dean (0-4, 0-3), third-seeded Johnson & Wales University (4-3, 3-2) hosting sixth-seeded University of Saint Joseph of Connecticut (1-2, 0-1), and fourth-seeded Saint Joseph's College of Maine (6-2, 2-1) hosting fifth-seeded Anna Maria College (1-4, 1-2).

The GNAC semifinals are next Wednesday, April 28, and the championship game is slated for Saturday, May 1, at the site of the top remaining seed. The GNAC champion will earn the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.

The Lasers are seeking their third overall GNAC Championship, having previously won the title in 2013 and 2016. Lasell was eliminated in the semifinals in the most recent GNAC Tournament in 2019, falling to Regis College, 15-14. Last year's tournament was canceled due to the pandemic.

Lasell has faced Norwich five times in GNAC Tournament play, falling to the Cadets in Northfield, Vermont the first four times in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012 before breaking through with a first-round victory in 2015 at Grellier Field.

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