Club Women's Lacrosse | 5/7/2015 1:30:00 PM

The nationally-ranked Onondaga Community College women's lacrosse team will look to capture its third national championship over the weekend at the 2015 NJCAA Women's Lacrosse National Championship here on campus at David W. Murphy Field.

Onondaga, which earned a bid to the four-team tournament and will represent District C, will take on the winner of District B, Harford Community College at 12 p.m. on Saturday in the afternoon's first semifinal before top-ranked Monroe Community College, the winner of District A, battles District D's Nassau Community College with the winner of each advancing to the National Championship game at 12 p.m. on Sunday.

Onondaga students, faculty and staff will receive free admission to the tournament with their Lazer Card while general admission is $10 per day (includes official championship program) or $15 for the entire weekend. 

Unable to make it to Murphy Field for the games?  We've got you covered!  Follow the action using the links below:Check out the game notes below to prep yourself for the weekend:

History Tends to Repeat Itself: Not to foreshadow, but it's worth noting that the Lazers have won the NJCAA National Championship every three years since 2009.  Onondaga captured its first national title in 2009 and would repeat the feat in 2012.  If history holds true, perhaps 2015 is their year.

From Beginning to End: Each of the team's that will play for the crown this weekend have been represented in the NJCAA's top-five this season.  Monroe has been the nation's top-ranked team throughout while the Lazers have held down the second overall ranking week-in-and-week-out.  Harford reached as high as third overall and enters the weekend ranked fourth while Nassau climbed as high as fourth in the poll before falling out of the top-five over the final two weeks of the season.

She Shoots, She Scores: It's one thing to shoot the ball, but what good is it if you can't hit your target?  Onondaga finds its mark often; in fact, the Lazers lead the nation in shot on goal percentage at a .786 clip.  The Lazers have taken 449 shots in 15 games of which 353 have resulted in either a goal or a save.

Speaking of Scoring…: The Lazers score a lot of goals. Actually, they've scored more goals than any other team in the country with 289. Onondaga ranks second in the nation, behind only Monroe, with 19.3 goals scored on average.  Head coach Tom MacDonald's squad features two players that ranks in the top-ten in the country in scoring led by Makenzie Annable who ranks second overall with 63 goals.  Jordan Osborne ranks fifth with 52 goals.

Give an Assist to Burnam: That phrase was said a lot this season in press boxes as freshman attack Cheyenne Burnam ranks second in the nation with 44 assists and third overall in total points with 79.  Burnam tallied three helpers or more in a game eight times and totaled six assists three different times.

The Defense Measures Up: Onondaga's more than just a good scoring team. The Lazers boast an elite defense that ranks third in the NJCAA in goals against average (7.68).  Sophia Wojnovich and Gretchen Kryzkowski have authored their fair share of strong games this season. Wojnovich ranks 10th overall in the NJCAA with 72 saves while Krzykowski ranks fifth overall in the country with a .519 save percentage.  Onondaga also creates problems for opposing offenses as the Lazers have accounted for 102 caused turnovers this season, which ranks sixth-best in the country.  Makenzie Annable leads the team with 18 caused turnovers while Nicole DeVona ranks second with 10.  Nine different players have forced the other team into five turnovers or more so far this season.

We've Seen This Before: Dating back to 2013, Onondaga has faced the three other teams vying for the national championship a combined 13 times.  The Lazers have won all three of their games against both Nassau and Harford including wins against each earlier this season.  Onondaga's last win against Monroe, however, came in the 2012 NJCAA title game, but the Lazers have since dropped seven straight.  

Scouting Monroe: It's no secret the Tribunes are good.  Monroe has been the nation's top ranked team for the entire season and boasts a perfect 13-0 record.  Entering this weekend, the Tribunes have won 48 straight games and have five players that have scored 30 points or more led by Michelle Schwartz's 66 points.  Monroe has won the last five Region III titles and last lost to Onondaga in the 2012 National Championship.    

Scouting Nassau: Nassau carries a 6-6 record into the weekend and qualified for the Final Four after beating Suffolk County Community College.  Nassau ranks eighth in the nation in goals scored this season (167) and features four players that have surpassed the 20-point plateau.  Guilana Rizzotti leads the team and ranks ninth among all players with 65 points.  Nassau's goalie, Karen Downes, has had some big games this season as well.  Downes ranks fifth in the nation with 110 saves and is ninth overall in save percentage (.438).  Nassau fell earlier in the season to its semifinal round opponent, Monroe, 19-4. 

Scouting Harford: The Fighting Owls earned their way into the Final Four by winning their first-ever Region XX title after defeating Nassau, 22-12 last weekend.  Harford's offense is known for its up-tempo style of play and ranks fourth in the NJCAA with 231 goals scored this season.  The Fighting Owls (10-4) have a potent 1-2 punch on the offensive end of the field with Natalie Decker and Karley Bush each rank in the top 12 with 63 and 61 points, respectively.  Overall, seven different players have notched 20 points or more for head coach Nikki Murphy.  In goal, Harford's Allie Storke has totaled 101 saves, which is sixth-most in the country.  Her .428 save percentage is 10th best among all NJCAA goalies.  Harford will be looking to avenge an early season loss to the Lazers after Onondaga pulled away late for a 15-11 win.