South Florida weathered an hour rain delay to walk off with the win in the first 2OT game in program history.
TAMPA, Fla., April 2, 2026 – The University of South Florida women’s lacrosse team (8-3) never led until Maggie Newton’s goal at the 2:03 mark of double overtime ended the first double-overtime game in program history.
South Florida’s defense surrendered seven goals in the first half, then locked in — allowing just one over the final 38 minutes of play.
The Bulls forced 17 caused-turnovers and collected 26 ground balls on the night. South Florida cleared 17 of 19 attempts and did not fail a single clear after the second quarter.
South Florida outshot Liberty 36-18, including 26 shots on goal to Liberty’s 11.
Liberty (4-8) entered the game undefeated on the road (4-0). South Florida is now 2-0 all-time against the Flames.
“I think what this group showed tonight is that they’re not going to fold when things get hard”, head coach Mindy McCord said. “We were down, we dealt with a weather delay, and we came out of halftime and completely changed the game defensively. One goal in 38 minutes— that’s a really special effort.”
First Quarter
Liberty and South Florida played scoreless through the first four-plus minutes before Liberty’s Olivia Young broke the drought at 10:11. Sophia Nesci followed with back-to-back goals — a free-position strike at 8:00 and another unassisted at 7:08 — to push the Flames’ lead to 3-0.
South Florida answered immediately. Ava Uphues converted on a man-up opportunity at 6:44, finishing off a feed from Julia Huxtable for her 27th goal of the season. With just under 4:00 remaining, the game was suspended for lightning at 7:50 p.m. ET.
Play resumed at 8:58 p.m., and the Bulls struck first out of the delay — Elise Grissett finding the back of the net off a pass from Sofia Chepenik for her 26th of the year.
South Florida trailed 3-2 heading to the second quarter.
Second Quarter
Liberty wasted no time extending the lead, scoring twice in the first 1:10 of the second quarter on back-to-back goals from Katie Colavito — the second a man-up finish — to go ahead 5-2.
Uphues answered with her second goal of the game at 7:39, again on a man-up and assisted by Chepenik, making it 5-3. Kaitlyn Tartaglione then converted a free-position shot to pull USF within one. But Liberty responded at 2:59, with Fayedra Vang finishing an Olivia Young feed to push the lead back to 6-4.
That’s when the Bulls offense came to life. Newton and Chepenik scored 20 seconds apart — Newton at 1:37 off a Tartaglione assist, and Chepenik unassisted at 1:17, her 29th of the season — to knot the game at six with under 90 seconds to play.
Liberty’s Hattie Messick answered with a man-up free-position goal at :33 to steal back the lead, and the Flames went into halftime up 7-6.
Third Quarter
Newton tied the game at seven just 1:40 into the third quarter, scoring unassisted out of the break. That was the last time either team found the net for the next 21 minutes.
South Florida’s defense completely smothered Liberty the rest of the quarter, holding the Flames to just two shots — Eastwood saving one — and forcing four turnovers. USF converted all five clear attempts in the period.
Fourth Quarter
The stalemate extended into the fourth before Eastwood came up huge at 8:55, tipping a Liberty free-position attempt off the crossbar to preserve the 7-7 tie.
Liberty finally broke through at 7:01 — Vang finishing off a Nesci feed for her 12th of the season to lead 8-7.
Chepenik answered with 3:36 remaining, converting off a Cami Schachet assist for her 30th goal of the season. Liberty plays a style that regularly pushes their keeper up near midfield, and Chepenik made them pay on the empty cage. Tied at eight, the game headed to overtime.
Overtime
South Florida dominated the first overtime period, outshooting Liberty 4-0, but couldn’t cash in. In the second OT, the Bulls stayed relentless. With 2:03 remaining, Newton caught a pass from Bailey Morris and ripped home the winner — sending the Bulls home at 11:00 p.m. on the dot, weather delay included.
Note-A-Bulls:
- Maggie Newton recorded her 200th career point with a hat trick, including the game-winner in double OT.
- Sofia Chepenik (30 goals), Elise Grissett (26), and Ava Uphues (28) all surpassed 25 goals on the season.
- Chepenik finished with two goals, two assists, and nine shots (eight on goal).
- Natalie Eastwood made three saves and allowed only eight goals in 67:57 minutes.
- South Florida never led until the final buzzer.
- Time of game: 3:31
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About USF Women’s Lacrosse
Entering its second season, the University of South Florida women’s lacrosse program builds on a historic inaugural year that quickly established the Bulls as a contender in the American Athletic Conference. South Florida opened its first-ever season on Feb. 7, 2025, with a 19–6 win over Kennesaw State, setting the State of Florida regular-season attendance record as 2,386 fans filled Corbett Stadium. The Bulls went on to finish the 2025 season with a 13–5 record and earned a place in the American Conference Championship in their inaugural season, ultimately finishing as the league’s runner-up. South Florida also drew more than 10,000 total fans to Corbett Stadium during the season. USF named Mindy McCord, an eight-time conference coach of the year, as the program’s first head coach in May 2022. McCord arrived in Tampa with 240 career wins and a proven record of building successful programs after launching and leading Jacksonville University’s women’s lacrosse team for its first 13 seasons. During her tenure at JU, she guided the Dolphins to 21 regular-season and conference tournament titles, eight NCAA Tournament appearances, and back-to-back Sweet Sixteen berths while developing 13 All-Americans, 81 all-conference selections, and 13 conference Player of the Year honorees. South Florida plays a fast-paced, high-scoring style influenced by the early 1990s Loyola Marymount men’s basketball fast break. That approach ranked among the national leaders in shots, points per game, and scoring margin during McCord’s tenure at Jacksonville and continues to shape the Bulls’ offensive identity heading into year two.
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