ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Roberts Wesleyan College women's lacrosse team will mark another milestone when it steps onto the field to play Lindenwood University in the NCAA Division II semifinals on Friday night in Salem, Va.

While the third-seeded Redhawks (14-1) will be making their first appearance in the Final Four, this will be the fifth trip for the second-seeded Lions (15-1).

Here are eight things to know about the game, which begins at 7 p.m. and can be streamed on ncaa.com:

1. A title berth is at stake

The winner of Friday's semifinal game will play for the national championship at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Top-seeded Queens (13-1) plays No. 4 East Stroudsburg (12-3) in the other semifinal at 4 p.m. on Friday. Both Roberts and Lindenwood are seeking their first national championships in women's lacrosse.

2. How they got here

Lindenwood won its first 13 games of the season before falling to the University of Indianapolis 12-9 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship game on May 2. The Lions earned the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament and defeated Regis University, 14-9, and UIndy, 17-13, to earn a trip to Virginia.

Roberts won its first 11 games before falling to East Coast Conference rival Mercy College, 12-6, in its regular-season finale. The Redhawks regrouped and defeated Mercy 10-9 in the ECC Tournament championship game on May 8 and earned the top seed in the NCAA's East Region. Roberts, playing in the first NCAA Tournament game in program history, defeated Bentley 10-7 to advance to the Final Four.

3. Lindenwood is a perennial contender

The Lions are in their 10^th season at the Division II level and have made the NCAA Tournament a field-best seven straight times. Coach Jack Cribbin has guided Lindenwood to eight conference championships and five Final Fours. Lindenwood started this season ranked No. 1 in the Nike /U.S. Lacrosse Top 20 poll and has been near the top all season.

4. Paolini has Roberts on the rise

The Redhawks have shown consistent improvement in their six seasons under head coach Kristin Paolini. Roberts went 6-9 in Paolini's first season, 7-11 in 2017, 9-9 in 2018, 11-6 in 2019 and were off to a 4-1 start before the 2020 season was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Roberts has won a school-record 14 games this season, bringing Paolini's career record to 51-37.

5. Both teams can light up the scoreboard

Lindenwood averages 17.19 goals per game, which ranks seventh in the nation, while Roberts scores 16.67, which is 12^th.

Senior midfielder Lexy Biller, who was named first-team All-American by USA Lacrosse magazine, tops the Lions with 39 goals. Graduate attack Erin McGuire, a second-team All-American, leads Lindenwood in scoring with 38 goals and 47 assists for 85 points. Junior attack Paige Sutton has scored 32 goals, while midfielders Emma Arnold, a sophomore, and graduate student Emma Wildhart each totaled 25 and graduate student midfielder Carly Federowski scored 22.

Senior midfielder Emily Tomei, a second-team All-American, leads Roberts with 48 goals and senior attack Lindsey Brinkel leads the Redhawks in scoring with 88 points on 33 goals and 55 assists. Junior attack Madison Bell has 47 goals, senior Taylor Nathan has netted 31 and junior Alexis Grant has 28.

Brinkel is tied for first in the nation in assists and assists per game, ranks fifth in points and sixth in points per game. Bell's 83 points are 12^th-best in the country.
Lindenwood's McGuire ranks fifth in the country in assists and seventh in assists per game (2.94). Her 85 points are sixth-best in the nation.

6. Keep an eye on the cage

Junior Natalie Arieno has played every minute of every game for the Redhawks and her goals against average of 8.03 ranks seventh in the nation. Arieno has made 107 saves and allowed 121 goals while facing 290 shots this season. She has a save percentage of .469 and is coming off a six-save effort in the NCAA East Regional championship game win over Bentley. Arieno also was named the Most Outstanding Player in the East Coast Conference Tournament.

Lindenwood junior Eleanor Kast enters the Final Four on a roll, having been named the IWLCA Defensive Player of the Week based on her performances in the first two games of the NCAA Tournament. Kast made seven saves in the first-round win over Regis and 10 against UIndy. She has started the last seven games for the Lions (6-1 record, 9.00 GAA) and has 65 saves, a .474 save percentage and 8.31 goals against average this season.

7. Difference in defensive schemes

While Roberts Wesleyan prefers to play a pressure zone defense, Lindenwood favors an aggressive man-to-man system that includes face guarding the opposition's top scorers.

While Brinkel, Bell and Tomei can expect to see some face guarding, that may provide other players with space on the offensive end. Roberts' zone slowed down Bentley last week and it will be interesting to see how Lindenwood adapts to a game plan that it does not see a lot in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

8. Draw controls and turnovers

Possession is crucial to success on the lacrosse field and Friday night's matchup will be no different.

Tomei did an outstanding job in the draw circle against Bentley, particularly in the second half, and Giancursio secured possession for the Redhawks on several occasions as they opened up a five-goal lead before eventually winning by three.

Lindenwood's Biller ranks ninth in the country at 6.62 draw controls per game and her effectiveness could be a factor. Roberts averages 15.4 draw controls per game while Lindenwood controls 14.69.
Turnovers will also be important.

Lindenwood averages just 12.56 turnovers per game, which is second in the nation. Roberts turns the ball over 17.53 times a game, which ranks 46^th.