Before the USF women's lacrosse team headed to Nashville for the American Conference tournament, head coach Mindy McCord had a simple quesion the players.
"Why not you?"
As reported by GoUSFBulls.com, McCord laid it out.
The Bulls could become the first USF team to win a regular-season conference title, a conference title, and the program's first NCAA bid. Some USF team was going to do that one day and make program history.
"Why not you?"
Well, why not? They are already on the doorstep.
The top-seeded Bulls take on defending conference champion James Madison at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be televised on ESPN+.
The Dukes beat USF in the championship game last year and were the preseason favorites coming into this season. However, the Bulls defeated them 9-7 on March 21 in Tampa and went on to capture the regular-season conference title with a perfect 6-0 record.
On Thursday, USF advanced to this year's title game with a convincing 13-7 win over Temple. The Owls came into the game with the American's top-ranked defense, but the Bulls jumped on them with five goals in the first quarter. It was 11-3 heading into the fourth and the Bulls never let Temple get close.
Sofia Chepenik and Elise Grissett had three goals apiece to lead USF. The Bulls had eight players find the back of the net.
The Dukes earned their spot by rallying from two goals down in the final 10 minutes to defeat East Carolina 9-7.
A win on Saturday would give the Bulls an automatic berth to the 29-team NCAA tournament. If they lose, USF would need to snag one of 14 at-large bids. The Bulls would have a strong argument in that scenario. They are ranked 25th nationally in the latest ESPN poll and 13th nationally in the NCAA RPI rankings.
Still rising 📈 pic.twitter.com/FPiyi8bgYH
— USF Women's Lacrosse (@USFWLAX) May 1, 2026
In a tweet, McCord gave her thoughts on what has so far been a special season.
"So blessed to coach this team. So, so blessed. TY, Lord for this. This team answers to challenges as well as any team I’ve coached. So many key players today. Nat (Natalie Eastwood) in goal was outstanding. Defense forced weak angle shots. Offense moved like the wind," she wrote.
"(A) 12-win Temple team was going to be tough. For three quarters we were so strong. Congrats to coach (Bonnie) Rosen and all her seniors on a stellar season. Moving on. My staff and I are grinding. Getting the plan ready for JMU2. Another title game. 1 game at a time. Are you ready, Bulls Nation?"
Well, are you?
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