NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 25, 2026 – The University of South Florida women's lacrosse team (11-4, 7-0 American) closed out the regular season in championship fashion Saturday afternoon, downing Vanderbilt (8-9, 3-3) 12-9 at the Vanderbilt LAX Complex to claim the outright American Conference Regular Season Championship title.
 
Sofia Chepenik led the way, matching the program record with a career-high six goals and adding an assist to pace the Bulls to their seventh consecutive conference win.
 
South Florida joins Florida as the only programs in Division I women's lacrosse history to win a conference championship within their first two seasons of existence.
 
How It Happened
Vanderbilt seized momentum early, building a 4-2 lead through the first quarter on the strength of a four-goal burst from Shea Panzik, who would go on to net four goals on the afternoon.
 
South Florida got on the board first when Chepenik opened the scoring at 12:15 of the first, but the Commodores answered with four unanswered goals — including two from Panzik in the final two minutes — to take the lead into the second.
 
The second quarter told a different story. USF chipped away relentlessly, with Chepenik scoring a man-down goal at 13:07 to keep the Bulls within striking distance.

After Vanderbilt pushed the lead back to two, Ava Uphues converted a man-up opportunity at 11:10. Chepenik then scored back-to-back goals — at 3:28 and 1:49 — to knot the game at six each. A Vanderbilt free-position goal with 18 seconds left in the half sent the Bulls to the locker room trailing by one.

South Florida came out of the break on a mission. Chepenik converted a pair of man-up goals in the opening three minutes of the third to give the Bulls a lead they would never relinquish.

Madisyn Jokerst followed with a goal at 3:45, and Uphues added another at 1:17 to stretch the advantage to 10-7 heading into the fourth.

Vanderbilt rallied to cut the deficit to two on a pair of free-position goals, but Julia Huxtable answered with a man-up goal at 3:34 to seal the championship clincher, 12-9.
 
Game Totals
South Florida outshot the Commodores 32-22 and held a 20-18 edge in shots on goal.
 
Natalie Eastwood made nine saves in net for the Bulls to earn the win.
 
While Vanderbilt held the edge in the draw circle, winning 15 of 23 draw controls, South Florida made the most of its opportunities — converting man-up chances at pivotal moments throughout the second half to swing the game's momentum.
 
Note-A-Bulls:

• Redshirt junior Sofia Chepenik delivered a record-tying performance, matching the program record with a career-high six goals while adding an assist. Chepenik has now scored in every game this season and continues to lead the American Conference in scoring.
• Ava Uphues posted two goals and an assist, including a key man-up conversion in the second quarter.
• Elise Grissett tallied a goal and an assist, including the helper on the game-sealing Huxtable goal in the fourth quarter.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Natalie Eastwood made nine saves on 18 shots faced to earn the win.
• USF converted three of five man-up opportunities while holding Vanderbilt to three of four on free-position attempts.
• The Bulls finished the American Conference regular season undefeated with seven wins.

UpNext
South Florida enters the American Conference Tournament as the No. 1 seed and will face Temple at 4:30 pm CT on Thursday April 30.
 
Tickets
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About USF Women's Lacrosse
Amidst 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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