CHICAGO – In its opening game of the 2022 NCAA Division III Championship, the University of Chicago women's lacrosse team pulled away from Capital University in the second half to secure a 19-14 victory on Sunday afternoon.

The No. 20-ranked Maroons (18-1 record) advanced to the NCAA Round of 16, where they will take on No. 2-ranked Middlebury College next weekend. The Comets concluded their season with a 20-1 record.

After qualifying for the NCAA postseason for the second-straight season, the Maroons earned a first-round bye in this year's bracket. Their second-round opponent Capital was making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship field and boasted the top scoring offense in the nation at 20 goals per game.

As the host school, UChicago was looking to extend its dominance on the Stagg Field turf – the squad came into the weekend with a 31-0 all-time record at home.

However, it was Capital who looked more comfortable in the early going, building a 3-1 lead through the first four minutes of game time. UChicago's first goal of the day came courtesy of first-year Jane Chen on a feed by sophomore Lulu Hardy with 11:44 left in the period.

It was a physical game throughout, as both teams used aggressive checking against their speedy counterparts across the field both on the defensive ride and in the critical scoring area. The squads combined for 61 fouls, six cards and 14 free-position shots.

UChicago found its stride as the first quarter wore on, scoring four in-a-row to go up 5-3 after 15 minutes of play. Junior Anneke Pulkkinen had the hot hand with a hat trick in the period, while junior Zoe Torok added a free-position goal of her own.

The offensive execution picked up in the second quarter with a combined 11 goals. The final minute before halftime was particularly hectic with both teams scoring twice in a 46-second span. With its rhythm found offensively, UChicago took an 11-8 lead into the break. Six different Maroons contributed goals in the second quarter.

The Comets chopped the deficit all the way down to 11-10 just under six minutes into the third quarter. The hosts looked out of sorts for an eight-minute span as Capital began to impose its will. However, UChicago got a big boost from its starting goalkeeper. First-year Rachel Keefe stonewalled Capital throughout the second half, making 10 saves over the final 30 minutes. Her positioning and reflexes allowed her to save multiple one-on-one open shot opportunities by Capital.

With Keefe keeping Capital's attackers at bay, the Maroons rediscovered their form midway through the third quarter and took off from there. Over the next 15-plus minutes, UChicago embarked on a massive 8-0 run that put the game out of reach. Hardy scored three times during that stretch, first-year Evelina Swigart found the back of the net twice and Chen dished out three assists. With six minutes left in the game, UChicago owned a commanding 19-10 lead on the scoreboard.

Capital pushed hard in the final two minutes to put up four-straight goals. But the result was never in doubt as the Maroons reached the NCAA Round of 16 for the second-consecutive year.

On the offensive end, Hardy was the pacesetter with four goals, one assist and two ground balls. Pulkkinen tallied four goals as well. Torok submitted two goals, two assists and four draw controls. Swigart contributed two goals, two assists and two ground balls. Senior Lally Johnson put up two goals and two ground balls. First-year Olivia Escoffery added two goals and one assist. Chen finished with one goal, five assists, two ground balls and two caused turnovers.

Sophomore Lizzie Huesman was a menace in the midfield and defensively. She finished with nine draw controls, four caused turnovers and two ground balls. Senior Adriana Shutler collected three ground balls and two caused turnovers. Junior Becky Van Kirk totaled three ground balls, four draw controls and one caused turnover.

Keefe improved to 18-1 on the year and tied her season high with 12 saves. She also snagged four ground balls.

The box score saw UChicago hold narrow advantages in shots (41-38), draw controls (20-17) and ground balls (24-17). The Maroons also committed five more turnovers than the Comets (22 to 17). UChicago converted 20 of 27 clears while Capital went 19-for-23.

NEXT GAME:

• Saturday, May 21 @ 11:30 AM (ET) – UChicago at Middlebury College