The Colorado College women's lacrosse team will play in arguably the biggest game in program history this weekend in Middlebury, Vermont. On Saturday, the Tigers will take on No. 1 Middlebury College in the third round of the NCAA Tournament as CC looks to hand the Panthers their first loss in over two years. 
 
Last Time Out
 
CC advanced to its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2019 after winning its opening two games of the NCAA Tournament last weekend in Chicago, IL. The Tigers downed Aurora University 18-2 in the opening round on Saturday and played a stellar game on both ends of the field. 
 
The Tigers held the Spartans to only 11 shots while causing a season-high 17 turnovers. Nine players contributed a CTO led by Devon Ortman, Amanda Roan and Frances Hansot, who each had three; a season-high for Ortman and a career-high for Hansot. It is the most team-caused turnovers the Tigers have captured since April 18th against The College of New Jersey.  
 
Offensively, the scoring was conducted by Kendall Havill, Charlotte Iler and Tobin Lonergan. Each trio member dished out three goals, while sophomore Grace Bean led the team with five points, two goals and three assists. 
 
CC didn't surrender a goal in the second half. After Saturday, the Tigers turned around and downed No. 25 UChicago 20-14. 
 
Against the Maroons, the Tigers trailed only once despite the back-and-forth scoring until the final horn. Similar to the season's first matchup against UChicago, CC relied on the various aspects of the offense to pull away. A strong third quarter built the lead up to seven, and the Tigers were able to hold on despite a fourth-quarter comeback by UChicago. 
 
Seven Tigers found the back of the net with senior Kendall Havill leading the way. The Bainbridge, WA native dished out an outstanding eight goals off only 10 shots. She also forced two turnovers and grabbed a ground ball. 
 
History For Havill
 
Senior captain Kendall Havill has solidified 2024 as the best individual offensive season in program history. Against Chicago on Sunday, she racked up eight goals to surpass Steph Kelly for the most points in a single season in program history. 
 
The Bainbridge, WA native now has 115 in her historic senior campaign. Havill also reached the mark for most goals in a single season and will look to add to the tally this weekend. She enters Saturday with the third most in the country with 93 goals. 
 
She leads the field in the NCAA Tournament with 11 goals through the first two rounds. 
 
Havill was named the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year after leading the Tigers to WIAC regular season and tournament championship victories. 
 
Defensive Powerhouse
 
On Tuesday, Junior Healy Bledsoe was named the IWLCA National Defensive Player of the Week. Bledsoe was essential to a dominant defensive weekend in Chicago. 
 
She grabbed a career-high six ground balls in the win over UChicago and also scored a goal after causing a turnover and taking it 100 yards to find the back of the net unassisted. Her efforts helped hold the Maroons to limited shots down the stretch. This followed a stellar performance in the tournament's first round against Aurora University, where the Tigers limited the Spartans to two goals, including none in the first half. 
 
She finished the weekend with two points, a goal, an assist, seven ground balls, four caused turnovers and a draw control. 
 
Against The National Field
 
CC enters the weekend ranked among all NCAA DIII in the following categories: 

• Third in points per game - 27.38.
• Third in scoring offense - 17.86 goals per game
• Fifth in assists per game - 9.52
• Sixth in scoring margin - 9.62 goals
• Ninth in shots on goal per game - 27.52
• Tenth in draw controls per game - 17.43
• 15th in clearing percentage - .880 

 
Notable Names
 
Three players won major awards in the WIAC after the Tigers captured the conference title. Havill won Offensive Player of the Year, Evelyn Baher-Murphy was named Defensive Player of the Year, and freshman Charlotte Iler was named Newcomer of the Year. 
 
Baher-Murphy solidified the Tigers' defense this season. The Mountain View native played and started in 18 games this season and helped CC hold their opponents to only 8.26 goals per game, the best mark in the WIAC and 34th best in the country. She led the team and was second in the WIAC with 24 caused turnovers, the 17th best in program history for most in a single season. 
 
Iler has had one of the best first years of any player in program history. She is on pace to surpass 200 career goals as she currently sits at 57. She was first among all first-year players in the conference in goals and points. She was tied for sixth overall in the WIAC with 68 points. 
 
This season, Iler has 17 multi-goal games and was named the WIAC Offensive Player of the Week the first week after scoring seven goals in her first two collegiate games. 
 
Scouting the Opposition
Middlebury is making its 28th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and is looking to reach the quarterfinal round for the 27th time. The Panthers are seeking their third-consecutive national title and 10th overall.
 
The program has won 47 straight contests, including 26 in a row on Peter Kohn Field. The team is the only remaining unbeaten squad in Division III, with a 19-0 mark entering the weekend.  Middlebury claimed its 12th NESCAC Title earlier this year to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. 
The Panthers, the top overall seed, earned a first-round bye and reached the third round of the national tournament by defeating St. John Fisher 18-5 on Sunday afternoon.
 
Pomona-Pitzer and Ithaca will compete in the other third-round game. If CC wins on Saturday, it will play either the Sagehens or the Bombers on Sunday with a chance to advance to the Final Four. 


The Tigers already faced Pomona-Pitzer this season—then. No. 12 Sagehens outpaced CC 10-7 in the season's opening game in Claremont, CA. Pomona entered the weekend with an 18-1 overall record and went a perfect 12-0 in conference play, capped by a win in the  Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship.
 
Ithaca made the big dance by capturing its first Liberty League conference title with a win against then-No. 7 William Smith. The Bombers were awarded a first-round by and then downed Shenandoah 18-6 in the second round to advance to the Sweet 16.