SCORE: UAlbany 9, Yale 12
 
LOCATION: Reese Stadium | New Haven, Conn.
 
RECORDS: UAlbany (9-10, 4-2 America East), Yale (15-3, 5-2 Ivy)
 
SHORT STORY: The University at Albany women's lacrosse team battled Ivy League champion Yale in the NCAA First Round, holding a 7-6 lead entering the fourth quarter before ultimately falling 12-9. The Great Danes showcased their depth and resilience on the national stage, led by milestone performances from Gracie McCauley and Mikaela Mooney, and capped a strong postseason run with a hard-fought effort against one of the nation's top teams.
 
KEY STATS

• Mikaela Mooney led UAlbany with four points on three goals and one assist, including one free-position conversion and a highlight unassisted goal as the shot clock expired.
• Gracie McCauley scored twice in the opening quarter, including her 100th career goal on a free-position shot, and added one ground ball.
• Dylana Williams tallied two goals and one assist, while also recording three draw controls.
• Ava Poupard contributed one goal and one assist, adding one ground ball and one draw control.
• Emma Weaver finished with one goal and one assist, along with two draw controls.
• Kloey Roos added a goal on her only shot attempt of the game.
• Courtney Rowe notched two assists, both in the opening quarter.
• Zareena Sorho scored once on her only shot and collected one ground ball.
• Mackenzie Salentre caused a team-high three turnovers and added one ground ball.
• UAlbany totaled 21 shots with 13 on goal, went 13-for-17 on clear attempts, and collected eight ground balls and 13 draw controls. The team committed 16 turnovers and caused six.
• Yale finished with 31 total shots, including 21 on goal, and went a perfect 16-for-16 on clears. The Bulldogs picked up 14 ground balls, won 11 draw controls, and committed just six turnovers while causing eight.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Ava Poupard opened the scoring for UAlbany midway through the first quarter, converting a pass from Courtney Rowe at the 11:35 mark to give the Great Danes an early lead.
• Gracie McCauley followed with a milestone moment, burying a free-position shot at 6:28 to reach 100 career goals. Just over three minutes later, McCauley struck again, this time while UAlbany was man-down, finishing another assist from Rowe to make it 3-0 at the end of the first quarter.
• Yale responded early in the second. Sky Carrasquillo netted an unassisted man-up goal at 11:04, then followed it up less than a minute later with another score off a feed from Kelly Holmes to cut the deficit to one.
• Fallon Vaughn tied the game at 3 with a free-position goal at the 7:54 mark.
• UAlbany answered with back-to-back goals. Dylana Williams converted a free-position attempt at 6:44, and Ava Poupard added her second goal of the day off a setup from Mikaela Mooney at 2:34 to make it 5-3.
• Yale closed the half with a goal from Taylor Lane, assisted by Holmes, narrowing UAlbany's lead to 5-4 at halftime.
• The Great Danes extended their lead in the third quarter. Kloey Roos scored off a pass from Emma Weaver at 7:43, and Weaver added one herself off a feed from Mooney at 6:43 to push the score to 7-4.
• the Bulldogs pulled back within one before the quarter ended. Ashley Kiernan scored on a free-position chance at 3:55, and Lane Taylor followed with a goal assisted by Carrasquillo at 1:43 to bring the score to 7-6 heading into the fourth.
• UAlbany opened the final quarter with a goal from Dylana Williams at 14:09, assisted by Mooney. The assist marked the 100th career point for Mooney and extended the lead to 8-6.
• Yale quickly responded. Jenna Collignon scored unassisted just 29 seconds later to bring the Bulldogs within one. Ashley Kiernan tied the game at 8-8 off a pass from Fallon Vaughn, and Sky Carrasquillo gave Yale its first lead of the game with an unassisted goal at 11:09.
• Carrasquillo scored again at 5:05 off a feed from Ashley Newman to make it 10-8 in favor of Yale.
• Mooney gave UAlbany some life with an unassisted goal as the shot clock expired at 3:36, cutting the deficit to 10-9.
• Yale sealed the win in the final minutes as Collignon scored twice, first unassisted at 2:22, then again off an assist from Carrasquillo with 38 seconds remaining, to complete a 6-2 run in the fourth quarter and lift the Bulldogs to a 12-9 victory.

 
UP NEXT: The Great Danes conclude the 2025 season as America East champions and NCAA Tournament participants, with eyes already set on returning stronger in 2026.
 
SOCIAL CENTRAL: Stay up to date with UAlbany women's lacrosse by following the team on X (@UAlbanyWLax) and Instagram (UAlbanyWLax) for all of the latest news and highlights throughout the year.