Powered by a first-round upset of its perpetual nemesis, the Grand Canyon University Women's Lacrosse team rode the wave to an impressive 3^rd-place finish at the 2024 Western Women's Lacrosse League Playoffs Sunday on the GCU campus. The 6^th-seeded Lopes stormed from behind in the 4^th quarter of their 1^st-round game to stun 3^rd-seeded San Diego State University Saturday morning at Colter Field, then were dropped out of title contention Saturday afternoon after an 11-6 loss to #2 Arizona State University. The Lopes rebounded from the loss Sunday morning to defeat 4^th-seeded University of California (Berkeley), 13-7, to ensure their highest Division 1 finish ever in this tournament.
 
1^st Round (Saturday): #6 GCU 11, #3 San Diego State 10
 
The Lopes couldn't have been pleased when they saw the playoff bracket before the tournament, since GCU had never beaten San Diego State in six previous meetings, and the Lopes' regular season finale was a lopsided 19-9 loss to SDSU last month. This time around, Lopes' Head Coach Tracy Ramirez employed a different defense which targeted the Aztecs' main scorers, keeping them off-balance much of the day. As a result, the Lopes trailed much of the game but were never out of striking range. Trailing 10-7 entering the final quarter, the Lopes' defense buckled down, shutting out the Aztecs in the final 15 minutes to allow the offense to creep back into it. With the Aztecs up a goal but reeling, GCU's Shaylee Smith passed up an open shot to find Emma Adams, who went low to tie the game at 10-10 with 92 seconds left in regulation. Overtime loomed before GCU's Layla Cates found a seam to score the gamewinner with 10 seconds left, then Ava Loeffler won the ensuing faceoff and ran out the clock to clinch the semifinal berth.
 
Quarterfinal Round (Saturday): #2 Arizona State 11, #6 GCU 6
 
The Lopes had only a couple of hours to celebrate the victory, since the 2^nd-seeded Sun Devils waited after dispatching #7 California Polytechnic University in their first-round matchup. The Devils never let GCU's defense get any footing, jumping out to a 6-1 lead after one quarter. ASU also limited the Lopes to three goals in the first three periods, leaving too big a deficit for a comeback. Smith was the only Lope to score twice in the game.
 
3^rd-Place Game (Sunday): #6 GCU 13, #4 Cal-Berkeley 7
 
Another slow offensive start could've doomed the Lopes, but when the Bears took a 2-1 lead after one period and then changed goalies, it energized the purple to the tune of a five-goal second period. The Lopes took a 6-3 edge into halftime, and never allowed the Bears to get any closer, building the lead to nine at one point. For the second time in the tournament, GCU's Paige DeVries posted a three-goal, one-assist game to lead the way (including a pair of goals in the pivotal 2^nd quarter), while Cates added a pair of scores.
 
"I honestly wasn't surprised by what we did in this tournament, since I know they're a great team and probably could've done even better," said Ramirez. "We've had a problem all year with inconsistency, game performance and sometimes a lack of drive, so to see them actually go out and showcase what they've worked so hard on in practices made me really proud. This is just a small peek into their potential."
 

The Lopes finish the 2024 campaign with an 8-8 overall record (2-2 WWLL), setting a new single-season mark for wins since the program moved up to the Division 1 level in 2017. The league also held its awards banquet during the tournament, with DeVries and Lopes' defender Alyssa Parinas earning 1^st Team All-WWLL honors and Loeffler landing a spot on the 2^nd Team.