LYNCHBURG, Va. - Sydney McClure scored four goals and fourth-seeded Coastal Carolina stunned top-seeded Jacksonville, 11-10, in the ASUN Women's Lacrosse Championship semifinals Thursday afternoon at LU Lacrosse Field.
The Chanticleers (8-9) avenged a 22-10 loss to the Dolphins (10-6) just two weeks prior and advanced to the ASUN Championship final for the second consecutive year. They will face the winner of No. 2 Liberty and No. 3 Lindenwood in Saturday's 1 p.m. ET final on ESPN+.
"I am beyond proud of the way the team played today," Head Coach Rachel Shuck Whitten said. "We played disciplined, gritty, confident, and truly believed we are winning this game!"
McClure, the league's co-offensive player of the year, added two assists for a game-high six points, and goalkeeper Charlotte Sadler made eight saves to anchor a Coastal defense that forced 19 Jacksonville turnovers. The Chants led 11-8 midway through the fourth quarter and withstood a late Dolphins push, including two goals by Allyx Berry in the final 3:48.
Following Berry's tally with 1:20 left in the game, Alyson Mascolo caused a turnover, picked up the ensuing ground ball which allowed the Chants to run out the clock in their offensive zone. She had a team-high four ground balls along with a goal.
Coastal held a slim 23-25 shot deficit but capitalized on Jacksonville's mistakes, going 17-for-18 on clears and converting three free-position shots.
Megan Hummel and Gabrielle Beaudet each scored twice for CCU, while Berry and Madison Plitt paced Jacksonville with three goals apiece.
NOTEBOOK
McClure Shines Again: Sydney McClure's four-goal outing pushed her season total to 54, most on the team. Her two assists brought her to 79 points on the year — also a team-high.
Balanced Attack: Six Chanticleers scored goals, and four registered assists. Brigid Cardillo (1 goal, 2 assists), Megan Hummel (2 goals, 1 assist), and Devin Rybacki (1 goal, 1 assist) provided valuable secondary scoring.
Clutch Defense: Coastal forced 19 Jacksonville turnovers and collected 17 ground balls. Gionna Altebrando caused four turnovers — a season-best effort for any CCU player — and picked up three ground balls, while Lily Wallace and Grace Lord each added two ground balls.
Streaks and Stats: Coastal has won three games in-a-row and has taken two of the last three from the Dolphins. The Chants 12 caused turnovers was a season high. McLure has found the back of net in 16-straight games and totaled 12 goals over the last three games.
Up Next: The ASUN's automatic bid to the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship will be on the line Saturday in Lynchburg. Coastal Carolina will face the winner of the Liberty-Lindenwood matchup at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN+.