The University of South Florida women’s lacrosse team clinched at least a share of the American Conference Regular Season Championship title after defeating East Carolina 17-4 at Corbett Stadium on April 18. With this victory and James Madison University’s win over Vanderbilt, South Florida also secured the No. 1 seed in the upcoming American Conference Tournament.
This achievement marks South Florida as only the second program in Division I women’s lacrosse history, alongside Florida, to win a conference championship within its first two seasons. The milestone reflects the rapid development of the program under head coach Mindy McCord.
During Saturday’s game, nine different Bulls scored goals, with four seniors contributing to the first five goals on Senior Day. Kaitlyn Tartaglione opened scoring just 24 seconds into play and finished with a hat trick, bringing her season total to 22 goals. Sofia Chepenik added three goals and an assist for a season tally of 39 goals so far, while Maggie Newton recorded three goals and three assists.
USF controlled much of the game by winning 19 out of 23 draw controls—six by Jena Binkis—and outshooting East Carolina by a margin of 42-26. Goalkeeper Natalie Eastwood made nine saves before being relieved by Hailey Darko.
The Bulls are set to close their regular season against Vanderbilt on April 25, aiming for an outright conference title. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ at 1:00 p.m. ET.
