The Rowan women’s lacrosse team arrived in Ewing, NJ, looking to pull off an improbable upset. But, the Profs would fall to The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) Lions in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) championship 16-12.

Rowan fixed a lot of the mistakes that plagued them in their matchup with TCNJ in the regular season finale, finding ways to score and make the most out of their shot attempts.

“I thought it was a better game then we played the first time against them,” Head coach Lindsay Delaney said. “Our composure and our finishing was good.”

Rowan found themselves up multiple scores into the middle of the second period, but TCNJ picked up steam late to pull ahead 8-7 heading into halftime.

What would follow would be a competitive fight in the third, with Rowan finding themselves up late courtesy of three goals in the period from Elaina Corson, who finished the day with four goals.

However, things took an abrupt turn for the Profs when senior defender Katie Montenero went down with an injury late in the third. Montenero had been a key component for the Profs defensively, as her performance this season earned her NJAC Defensive Player of the Year honors.

“She’s been playing great and she was playing on their best attacker,” Delaney said. “She’s six feet tall, so it’s hard to get in with her in the middle there.”

TCNJ found a weakness in the Profs defense after the Montenero injury and went on a run in the fourth quarter, scoring seven consecutive goals and completely deflating the Profs on both sides of the field.

“Overall, we knew that we wanted it[NJAC championship win] so badly and we wanted to push through and bring it home, but things happen sometimes,” said goalkeeper Mel Rodgers. “That outside noise can get to your head a little bit and I think that’s what happened.”

The Profs had already lost attacker Fiona Lockhart earlier this season, and now Montenero’s return is in question as the team gears up for the pinnacle of their season: the NCAA Division III Championships. The Profs have earned themselves their first appearance since 2018 despite the NJAC Championship loss to the Lions.

Rowan earned an at-large bid for the championships, and will be hosting their first matchup in Glassboro on May 11 against the winner of the first round matchup between Western Connecticut State University and the United State Marine Merchant Academy. The Profs have not lost a home game all season, and Rodgers says the team is excited about getting to play at their field on the national stage.

“Honestly, it feels amazing. Coming from someone who’s been here for six years now, this program has worked tirelessly and the fact that we get to be able to host is amazing,” Rodgers said. “We’re undefeated at home and we want to keep it that way, because we know what we’re worth and we wanna prove it to anyone that doubts that.”

Rowan had a historic 2025 campaign. The Profs ended their regular season with a program record in wins, along with the most consecutive wins to begin a season in program history. They also upset No. 4 Franklin & Marshall 11-10 back in April, their first win over a Top 10 team since 2010. For Calista Burke, she feels their bid to the NCAA tournament shows the team is finally getting the recognition she feels they deserve.

“I think we earned it,” Burke said. “I’m glad that we’re getting respect. It’s definitely awesome that we’re hosting, so I think we’re all really excited and gonna have a new start this postseason.”