NEWTON, Mass. – The Denver Pioneers women's lacrosse team aims to secure their second-ever berth in the NCAA quarterfinals on Sunday as they face No. 3 overall seed Boston College in the second round of the national tournament at 11 a.m. MT at Newton Campus Field.
 
The game will be the nationally broadcasted on ESPN+.
 
Denver is coming off a 16-3 victory over Vermont in the first round of the national tournament on Friday after, using three, five-goal runs and receiving hat tricks from Bea Behrins (four), Lauren Black, Mollie Estepp and Julia Gilbert. DU improved to 7-5 all-time in the national tournament and 6-0 in round 1 matchups.
 
DU will be playing BC for the fifth time in program history and the second this season, as the Pioneers fell 9-5 to the then-No. 1 Eagles at Peter Barton Stadium in a contest that was shortened to three quarters due to extremely cold temperatures on March 9. 
 
Boston College will be playing its first game since falling 16-7 to North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game on May 7. As the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Eagles earned a bye in the first round.
 
The Pioneers are in the national tournament for the fourth straight season and last made the elite eight in 2019 when they defeated No. 8 Michigan 9-5 in the sweet 16.
 
SNAP SHOTS

• Bea Behrins scored four times in Round 1 vs. UVM and set a new school single-season goals record with 68 goals and set the program's new single-season goals record with four tallies in the fir on the year.
• Behrins had six points vs. Vermont, which was tied for the most in an NCAA Tournament game in program history.
• Abby Jenkins (107) is two draw controls away from setting the program record for the most in a single campaign (108, Maddie Baum, 2018).
• Sammie Morton played in her 75th career game on Friday, tied for the ninth-most in school history. Her next game will tie her for fourth

 
RECORD-BREAKING BEA
Bea Behrins scored four times in the first round against Vermont to reach 68 goals on the campaign and set a new school record for the most in a single season.  Behrins broke the mark that was previously held by Kristie Leggio, who scored 67 goals in both 2006 and 2007.
 
The attack's 81 career games are the most in program history and she is six goals away from tying Ali Flury's (2007-10) mark of 202 for the most in a career at Denver.
 
BLACK REACHING MARKS
Lauren Black is second on the team in scoring with 53 goals and 72 points on the season. Her 72 points are tied with Ali Flury (2007) for the most in a campaign by a freshman, while her 53 goals are six behind Flury's freshman record of 59.
 
She has recorded a point in all 20 outings this season and is on a 13-game goal streaks. Black has also recorded a hat trick in each of the past six contests.
 
LAST MEETING VS. BOSTON COLLEGE: MARCH 9, 2022
The then-No. 11 Pioneers fell 9-5 to Boston College earlier this season in a game that was called official after three quarters due to cold temperatures.  Tied 2-2 after the first quarter, BC used a seven-goal second quarter to pull in front and take a lead it wouldn't relinquish.  The Pios held the Eagles scoreless in the third and final quarter, marking the first time that Boston College didn't score in a frame this season.  Kayla DeRose led Denver with two goals, while Lauren Black also had multiple points with two assists.  Bea Behrins, Charlotte Boote and Sammie Morton also tallied for the Pioneers, who received three saves from freshman goalkeeper Emelia Bohi.
 
HISTORY VS. BC
Denver and Boston College have met four times since each program's inception, with the Eagles winning each matchup.  The two teams first clashed on Feb. 21, 2000 in Chapel Hill, N.C., with the Eagles winning 19-10.  The teams have played twice in Chestnut Hill, with BC winning 16-6 on April 20, 2001 and 15-2 on April 11, 2003.  The matchup earlier this season was the Eagles' first trip to Denver and marked the first time that a defending national champion and a No. 1-ranked team played the Pioneers on their home turf.
 
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Boston College finished the regular season with a 16-3 record, with two of their losses coming to current No. 1 North Carolina; also lost 16-15 at then-No. 7 Duke on April 16.  The Eagles, who started the year as the top-ranked team in the nation, fell 16-7 to the UNC Tar Heels in the ACC Championship Game on May 7.  BC is led offensively by reigning Tewaaraton Award winner Charlotte North, who has 75 goals and 94 points this season.  Her 341 career goals are tied for the NCAA record.  North also has 123 draw controls on the year.  Jenn Medjid is second on the squad in scoring with 61 goals and 83 points.  In goal, Rachel Hall has started all 18 games and owns a 10.24 goals-against average and .340 save percentage.
 
NEW ENGLAND CONNECTIONS

• Head coach Liza Kelly began her head coaching career at Boston University from 2002-2006, helping the Terriers win the 2005 and 2006 America East Championships.
• Current volunteer assistant and alum ('21) Molly Little is from Tiverton, Rhode Island.

 
LAST GAME NOTABLES

• Denver improved to 6-0 all-time in first-round games and 7-5 overall in the NCAA Tournament.
• DU's 16 goals scored vs. Vermont were the second-most in a national tournament game in school history.
• The Pioneers caused 15 turnovers, a new NCAA Tournament-high for the program.
• Bea Behrins' six points (4g/2a) were tied for the most by a Pioneer in an NCAA Tournament game (Jill Remenapp, 2g/4a, 2013 First Round vs. Jacksonville).
• Junior Sydney Collignon scored her first career goal.
• Freshman Mollie Estepp recorded her third multi-goal game and second career hat trick.
• Bryn McCaughey led DU with five ground balls, tied for the second-most in an NCAA Tournament contest in DU history.
• Denver played its first NCAA Tournament game in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

 
IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Denver is in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season, making it each full campaign since 2018 (was not played in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic).  The Pioneers own a 7-5 record in the national tournament and are now 6-0 in first round matchups.
 
Last season, DU defeated Stanford 15-13 in the first round before falling to host Northwestern 19-4 in the second round in Evanston, Ill.  Grad-student defender Molly Little recorded her first career hat trick in that contest.  The farthest the team having gone was the elite eight quarterfinals in 2019.
 
TOP-TIER DEFENSE
DU presently owns the fifth-best defense in the country, allowing just 8.15 goals per game.  The Pios have limited opponents to single-digit goals in 14-of-20 contests and in three Big East outings during the regular season.  Denver opened the year by holding opposing teams to single digits in its first eight contests, including holding then-No. 14 Stanford to six goals (Feb. 18) and then-No. 8 Michigan to eight (March 13) in a pair of road contests.
 
The Pioneers rank first in the nation with 261 caused turnovers and second with a 13.05 average per contest (Liberty, 13.53 average).  In ground balls, Denver is tied for sixth overall in the country (379) and 14th in average (18.95).
 
Denver is led on defense by junior Sam Thacker's and senior Kailee Lammers, who both rank in the top two on the team in caused turnovers and ground balls.  Graduate student Sammie Morton also ranks in the top four in caused turnovers and ground balls, and all three are in the top four in draw controls behind specialist Abby Jenkins (107).
 
CAUSING HAVOC
DU's 261 caused turnovers this season now rank as the most in a campaign in program history, with the Pioneers setting the new record after having 15 in Round 2 vs. Vermont.  The previous mark for a single seasons was 257 set in 2008.
 
Seven of Denver's top-10 all-time caused-turnover campaigns have come in the last 10 full seasons (since 2012) and each of DU's top 10 have occurred under the watch of head coach Liza Kelly, who was hired for the 2007 season.
 
BACK-TO-BACK BIG EAST CHAMPS
The Pioneers captured its second-straight Big East Tournament title with the victory last week vs. the Hoyas. It was DU third-ever tournament championship after also winning the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation on the Denver campus in 2014.
 
DU has made it to the Big East Conference Final in each of the last five appearances, also making it in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Denver fell in OT to Georgetown in 2019 but flipped the script this season with their own extra frame victory over GU.
 
ALL-REGION TEAMS ANNOUNCED
Four Denver players were named to IWLCA All-Region Teams on Thursday, with a trio of Pioneers making it on the West/Midwest Region First Team.  Attack Bea Behrins and defenders Kailee Lammers and Sam Thacker were recognized on the first team, while freshman attack Lauren Black was honored on the Second Team.
 
In total, 32 players represented West/Midwest squads and 128 players overall were honored across the four regions in the country.
 
MAGAZINE ALL AMERICANS
Three Pioneers were honored on Tuesday as USA Lacrosse Magazine All Americans.  Defender Sam Thacker was named to the media organization's first team, while attack Bea Behrins and defender Kailee Lammers won All-American Honorable Mention awards.
 
QUICK ON THE DRAW
Draw control specialist Abby Jenkins recorded double-digit draw control wins in each of the previous three games before the NCAA Tournament, including setting career highs in both games of the Big East Tournament.
 
After wrapping up the regular season with 10 draw controls vs. Marquette on April 30, Jenkins set a new personal best and DU postseason record with 11 in the semifinals vs. Connecticut on May 5.
 
'Juice' broke her own mark in the Big East Championship Game against Georgetown by winning 12, including helping the Pioneers gain possession twice in overtime.  The 12 draw control were tied for the third-most in a contest in program history (regular season or playoffs).
 
FRESHMAN PHENOM
Attacker Lauren Black is second on the team with 53 goals and 72 points (53g/19a) and has recorded a goal in 19-of-20 games this season, including in each of the last 13 contests (38g/15a).  Her 53 goals and 2.65 goals-per-game average both rank fifth nationally among freshmen, and she is the first rookie to record at least 50 goals in a season in the Big East since the conference's realignment in 2014.
 
Black is the second freshman in school history to reach the 50-goal threshold, joining Ali Flury, who tallied 59 times in 2007.  She ranks tied for ninth overall for the most tallies in a single season in the program annals.  In points, Black has matched Flury's freshman record of 72 that she also set during that '07 season.
 
The New Westminster, B.C., Canada, native led the Big East with seven game-winning goals and has recorded hat tricks in each of the last six games, including recording her first sock trick and a career-high seven points (6g/1a) on April 23 at Villanova.
 
THE THACKER FILE
Junior Sam Thacker is Big East Defensive Player of the Year, as she is first in the nation in caused turnovers with 61 and is first in the NCAA averaging 3.05 per game.  Her 61 caused turnovers rank as the second-most in a season in school history, and her 108 career forced turnovers are already the second-most in the program annals--Kate Henrich (2010-13) holds the record with 170.
 
Thacker has forced three or more turnovers in 12 games this season and recorded a career-high six caused turnovers on Feb. 20 at California.  The six CTs were tied for the seventh-most in a game in school history and marked just the 20th time that a Pioneer reached that mark.
 
The Lutherville, Maryland, native was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Week on four occasions and was named the IWLCA National Defensive Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks on March 8 & 15.
 
Thacker is also second on the team in both draw controls (48) and ground balls (46).
 
QUEEN BEA
Graduate student Bea Behrins leads all three scoring categories for the Pioneers this season with 68 goals, 23 assists and 91 points, all career highs.  She was recognized for the second straight campaign as the Big East Attacker of the Year.
 
Behrins—who ranked second in the conference in goals, points and shots—has scored in all 20 games this year and has tallied multiple times in 18 of those contests.  During Big East play, Behrins tied for the league lead with 19 goals while firing off a league-best 7.8 shots per game.  She ranks in the top 10 nationally in goals and shots (145) and top 15 in points.
 
The Basking Ridge, N.J., native has made her mark in the program record book:

• Her 68 goals are the most in a single season, while her 91 points are now fourth-most.
• Is second all-time with 196 career goals, six away from tying Ali Flury (2007-10) for first place with 202.
• Ranks four all-time with 253 career points, 2 behind third-place Karen Morton (2006-09).
• Has scored seven goals in two games this year, becoming just the third Pioneer to record two, seven-goal outings. Her seven-goal contests are the most in the Big East this season and rank tied for the fourth most in a game in DU annals.
• Recorded 10 points (7g/3a) on March 15 vs. Fairfield, which rank tied for the fourth most in a contest in school history and the most in a Big East game this season.

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