(Photo by Jodi Vosika)

SAN DIEGO – The semifinals and finals of the 2023 Southwestern Lacrosse Conference (SLC) tournament have been set in both divisions and a pair of champions will be crowned on Sunday, April 30.

The victors in each division will receive an automatic qualifying berth to the 2023 MCLA National Championships presented by New Balance from May 8-13 at the Round Rock (Texas) Multipurpose Compex.

BRACKETS: DIVISION I | DIVISION II

The SLC Division I tournament kicks off on Friday night on the campus of UC San Diego.

The opening contest will feature top-seeded Concordia (10-4) battling No. 4 seed San Diego State (8-3) at 4:30 p.m. The two teams met on April 12 with the Eagles taking a 19-9 road vict ory thanks to seven goals and two dimes from Nick Beeson.

In the other D-I semifinal, third-seeded Arizona State (8-5) clashes with second-seeded Chapman (13-3) at 7:15 p.m. Thanks to 15 saves from Anderson Marks and four goals from Luke Morrisette, the Panthers downed the Sun Devils, 12-9, in Tempe on March 17.

The Division II semifinals kick off on Saturday at 12:30 p.m., opening with the North second-seed Claremont (6-5) matching up with Cal State San Marcos (12-1), the top seed out of the South. The two teams did not meet during the regular season.

On the other half of the draw, North top seed Northern Arizona (9-3) meets up with South No. 2 seed UC San Diego (11-2) at 3:15 p.m. These teams met on March 16 and, thanks to five goals and three assists from Alexander Franz, the Tritons won, 14-8.

“I think we’re going to see two upsets over this weekend,” said SLC director Matt Holman. “It just feels like someone is going to pull the rabbit out of the hat who may have been written off on paper.”

Information pertaining to live streaming, tickets and the recruiting fair can be found on the SLC tournament site HERE.

Southwestern Lacrosse Conference (SLC) Tournament
San Diego, Calif. – April 28-30

Division I
Semifinals – UC San Diego – April 28
#4 San Diego State v. #1 Concordia, 4:30 p.m.
#3 Arizona State v. #2 Chapman, 7:15 p.m.

Finals – Canyon Hills High School – April 30
Semifinal winners, 12:45 p.m.

Division II
First Round – Home Sites – April 22
#2N Claremont d. #3S San Diego, 17-13
#2S UC San Diego d. #3N Loyola Marymount, 19-4

Semifinals – Canyon Hills High School – April 29
#2N Claremont v. #1S Cal State San Marcos, 12:30 p.m.
#2S UC San Diego v. #1N Northern Arizona, 3:15 p.m.

Finals – Canyon Hills High School – April 30
Semifinal winners, 10 a.m.