GETTYSBURG, Pa. The Gettysburg College women’s lacrosse team will face one of its most challenging schedules in recent memory as it enjoys a full slate of competition for the 2022 season.
Gettysburg typically plays against some of the top teams in the country and the Bullets have raised the bar even higher in 2022 as the team seeks a return to the NCAA Division III playoffs. Included in the 17-game regular-season schedule are seven national playoff participants and eight teams that finished among the top 20 in 2021. Three of Gettysburg’s 2022 foes went to the NCAA semifinals: Denison University, Salisbury University, and Tufts University.
After being limited to just six games against Centennial Conference opponents due to pandemic restrictions last season, Gettysburg will face eight non-conference opponents which combined for an outstanding 105-15 (.875) record in 2021. The Bullets open the year on the friendly turf of Clark Field against Stevenson University on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 1 p.m.
Gettysburg is 33-0 all-time against its first three opponents of the spring, including 17-0 against its next opponent, Messiah University, which went 18-1, won the MAC Commonwealth title, and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals in 2021. The Bullets host the Falcons on Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 4 p.m. The Bullets close the season-opening home-stand against Denison University on Feb. 26 at noon. Denison won the North Coast Athletic Conference championship before running all the way to the national semifinals last spring.
A trip south sees Gettysburg tangle with two of the top programs in the country. The Bullets meet defending Old Dominion Athletic Conference champion Washington and Lee University on Sunday, March 6, at noon. Three days later, defending national champion Salisbury hosts Gettysburg at 3 p.m. The Sea Gulls pulled off a perfect season (20-0) on the way to a victory over Tufts in the national title game. Salisbury’s last loss came at the hands of Gettysburg 12-11 in overtime in 2020.
The Bullets complete a three-game road swing at York (Pa.) College on March 16. Like Gettysburg, the typically NCAA-bound Spartans were left on the outside of the national playoff field in 2021, but still managed to finish 16th in the final national poll.
Gettysburg’s pursuit of a league-record 13th Centennial crown begins at home against Haverford College on Saturday, March 26, at 1 p.m. Outside of defending conference champ Franklin & Marshall College, the Bullets have won over 85 percent of their contests against league opposition since 1994.
The Orange and Blue finish the non-conference slate against The College of New Jersey on Tuesday, March 29, at 4 p.m. The Bullets beat the Lions for the 2017 NCAA title and have won each of the last three meetings overall.
The beginning of April sees the Bullets play on the road three times in a span of four conference outings. Gettysburg visits Washington College and Dickinson College on April 2 and April 6, respectively, before returning home to face Swarthmore College on Saturday, April 9, at 1 p.m. A trip to Bryn Mawr College follows on April 16.
One of the premier lacrosse rivalries in Division III takes center stage when Gettysburg hosts Franklin & Marshall College on April 20 at 4 p.m. The Bullets and Diplomats have combined to win every Centennial crown since 2002, with the Orange and Blue holding an 11-8 advantage. F&M won the league title with a 17-14 decision last spring.
Gettysburg completes a three-game home-stand against Muhlenberg College on April 23 and McDaniel College on April 27. The final outing of the regular season will take place at Ursinus College on April 30.
The first round of the CC Championship is set for May 4 with the semifinals taking place on May 7-8.
Gettysburg went 5-1 and finished 11th in the final national poll in 2021. The shortened schedule due to pandemic restrictions combined with changes to the NCAA tournament field kept the Bullets out of the postseason for the first time since 2001. Head Coach Carol Cantele ’83, who was recently inducted into the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Hall of Fame, enters her 30th season at the helm.
This story was originally posted on the Gettysburg College Website.