In November 2021, USF Vice President for Athletics Michael Kelly announced that the Bulls were adding a women’s lacrosse team.
I kind of shrugged and thought, “Well, OK.” Kelly was a visionary, however, because he understood the value of adding another high-profile women’s program if it could be built the right way.
The results speak for themselves.
The Bulls are on the precipice of becoming only the second team in NCAA history to win a conference championship in their inaugural season. That would get USF an NCAA tournament invite, and no first-year program has done that.
They ensured the opportunity to accomplish both of those things with a fingernail-chewing 14-12 win over East Carolina Thursday night in the American Athletic Conference tournament semifinals.
The game was tied at 12-all with 2:34 when redshirt freshman Bailey Morris scored off a roll dodge from the top of the arc to put the Bulls. After winning the draw, Morris added the dagger with 55 seconds left.
You don’t have to know the intricacies of lacrosse – and I don’t – to appreciate what this team has accomplished. The Bulls finished the regular season 12-4 and finished second in the AAC behind James Madison.
That’s the team the Bulls will challenge for the AAC title starting at noon on Saturday. The game will be televised on ESPN+.
The Dukes will be a load for sure. They are the No. 12 RPI team in the country.
They pummeled Vanderbilt 16-6 in the other semifinal. They also handed the Bulls a stinging 20-6 loss on April 19, outscoring USF 11-0 in the second half.
It’s the only game this year where the Bulls didn’t score in double figures.
Like I said, I’m no lacrosse expert. However, a good friend played college lacrosse at Bucknell and afterward played well into adulthood. He knows the game inside and out.
When the Bulls hosted Bucknell earlier this season, he went to the game and was extremely impressed with USF.
Even before the game, he texted me to say he wasn’t surprised that the Bulls were doing well because, in his words, “They have a great coach.”
That would be Mindy McCord, who was hired in 2022. She certainly has the track record that shows the programs where she coaches have sustained success.
It’s more than that, however. My friend noted how much fun the atmosphere was at the game he attended. And when I replied that USF had done a good job putting the program together, he responded with one word: “Very.”
That says it all.