Five underclassmen that can impact DII women’s lacrosse down the final stretch

The DII women’s lacrosse regular season is winding down, which means the bracket talks are heating up. With just a few regular-season games to go before conference tournaments commence, every win matters.

These underclassmen are going to do everything in their power to make sure those wins happen.

Below are some high-scorers, big assist producers and even a goal stopper that may not be seniors, but certainly have made the grade this DII women’s lacrosse season.

5 DII women’s lacrosse underclassmen to know

Sadie Kauffman, East Stroudsburg. Kauffmann had a big freshman debut in 2025, earning PSAC freshman of the year honors, as well as being named an All-American by multiple outlets. She is proving it was no fluke as a sophomore in 2026. Through 14 games, she is leading the No. 5 Warriors in goals (70) and points (96), both of which lead the PSAC and are top three marks in DII. She also leads the team in game-winning goals with five. What’s truly frightening for the PSAC and DII is that Kauffman is part of a high-scoring underclassmen attacking trio, joining juniors Arianna Tucci (49 goals) and Paige Moreland (26 goals, 38 assists) to lead DII’s second-most potent offense, averaging 19.2 goals per game.

Dakota Capolino, Flagler. The Saints aren’t simply having a great season; it is one of historic proportions. One of three remaining undefeated programs in DII, the 16-0 Saints reached No. 1 for the first time in program history on March 2 and refuse to relinquish the spot. While the Saints have the best scoring offense in DII, they also have the second-best scoring defense, enabling them to win games by a DII-best 13.4 goals per game. That’s thanks to their sophomore keeper, Capolino. She is third in DII with a .538 save percentage, making 77 saves while recording the victory in all 16 games thus far. This is quite impressive when you consider Capolino played a mere three games as a freshman last year, where she showed sparks of what was to come, saving seven of the 10 shots she faced last year.

Paige Murphy, Maryville (MO). The Saints are 9-2 and look like they are on track for a potential first-round bye in the Midwest Region. Murphy, a junior transfer from Emmanuel (GA), didn’t take long to acclimate to her new home, currently leading the team with 65 goals and 76 points, both of which are top 10 marks in the division. This should come as no surprise as Murphy has been one of the elite goal scorers in DII since she was a freshman. She posted an unthinkable 214 goals in her first two seasons with the Lions, and her 113 as a freshman were the third-most in a DII season ever. Murphy, who has four regular-season games plus all-but certain postseason games remaining in her junior year, is already tied for the 11th-most goals all time and is 42 goals shy of Sydney Tiemann’s DII career record, who also spent time with Maryville. There are some serious goal-scoring juices flowing in St. Louis.

Stacy Glover, Wingate. The Bulldogs are 11-3 and cruising towards a spot in the DII women’s lacrosse championship. Glover leads the scoring attack, but she is one of three freshmen playing a pivotal role on DII’s No. 16-ranked team. Glover, who started her career by scoring at least two goals in her first 12-straight games, leads the team with 52 goals which is 12th most in DII and the most, by a landslide, of any freshman (the next closest has 41). Fellow rookie Lauryn Knutson helps feed Glover’s goal-scoring prowess, leading the Bulldogs with 34 assists, and along with her 12 goals, trails only Glover on the team in points. Ensuring that freshman firepower doesn’t go to waste, Saskia Aunger, Wingate’s freshman keeper, has posted the fifth-best goals-against average in DII. This team isn’t just loaded for a 2026 run, but a 2027 run… and 2028 run as well.

Josie Lakosky, Northern Michigan. The Wildcats are 10-4 and fighting for one of the last spots in the Midwest Region in hopes of the program’s first-ever appearance in the DII women’s lacrosse championship. Lakosky, a junior attacker and perennial goal-scoring machine, will unload everything in her arsenal to try and make that happen. Lakosky already has a highly decorated accolades list, earning GLIAC freshman of the year honors in 2024, GLIAC attacker of the year in 2025 and now, leading all DII with 76 goals, which also happens to be the new Northern Michigan single-season record… and there are three regular-season games left. She has also set a career high with 27 assists, and her 103 points lead DII. Lakosky is very deserving of playing in May, so keep an eye on the Wildcats over the next couple weeks.

Bonus coverage

Courtney Bednarz, Lees-McRae. The Bobcats won’t make the postseason, currently at 5-11, but Bednarz has enjoyed one of the best seasons in DII. She currently has 56 goals, 18 assists and 74 points, with her goals and points both in the top 10 in the division.

Riley Parker, Young Harris. The Mountain Lions are 12-5 but have a big mountain to climb to make the tournament in the South Region full of nationally ranked powers. Parker will do all she can in the upcoming Conference Carolinas tournament, as the junior attacker has 50 goals and 17 assists on the season.

Elisha Stack, Tusculum. At 8-6, the Pioneers are not likely tournament bound, but Stack has had a great sophomore campaign. She leads the team with 47 assists — third-most in DII — and her 31 goals has her in the top 10 in DII in points this season.