The fate of the ASU women's lacrosse club didn't rest in the hands of its players, but the Sun Devils still walked away all smiles.
Coming off a third-place finish at the Western Women's Lacrosse League Championships, ninth-seeded ASU will face eighth-seeded Maryland in the U.S. Lacrosse League Women's Association national tournament, scheduled for May 10-14 in Blaine, Minn.
The Sun Devils (11-5) advanced to the second round of the WWLL Championships with a 14-12 win over UC Davis. They held their own against Santa Barbara in a 16-7 loss marred by a second-half defensive collapse.
"We played well against Santa Barbara for most of the game," ASU coach Tyna LaBarre said. "For about seven minutes in the second half, we had a defensive communication breakdown. The girls were tired physically and mentally, and Santa Barbara took advantage of every opportunity, scoring the bulk of their goals within that time frame."
ASU's 11-9 victory over Santa Clara secured the third-place finish.
"Our defense is what won our games," LaBarre said. "That has been our saying this season -- offense scores points but defense wins games. Our defense really came together and did an amazing job."
Bids to the national tournament were awarded to the top two finishers at the WWLL Championships.
The selection committee chose teams based on coaches' polls, strength of schedule and the last five games played. ASU won four of its last five games, losing only to Santa Barbara.
"There's about a 75 percent chance that we'll get selected for the national tournament," LaBarre said before selections were announced Monday night. "We are competitive with the top dogs, so I think that will come into consideration."
The Sun Devils have proven they can compete with the nation's top-ranked clubs.
Last month, ASU took UCLA into double overtime, only to lose by a goal. The Sun Devils also downed Santa Clara twice the last two weeks.
"I think we all know we should be there," said sophomore Jaclyn Au, vice president of the ASU women's lacrosse club. "We've overcome a lot of obstacles this season and improved over every game. That's really all you can ask for."
LaBarre said she's confident her club will turn heads at nationals.
"I've been saying all season that it's all about the heart and the will to win," LaBarre said. "Even though we lost to UCSB, we know that we can play with the best and are deserving of a tournament bid, so we can show the rest of the country what we can do."
Reach the reporter at michael.fowler@asu.edu.
