ROUND ROCK, Texas – The four semifinals are set for Thursday after an exciting Tuesday evening of lacrosse at the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex at the 2024 MCLA National Championships presented by New Balance.

The game of the day – and the game of the tournament so far – occurred between second-seeded Texas and No. 7 UC Santa Barbara. In a game that had the crowd and the benches buzzing despite the heat, the Gauchos advanced to their first semifinal in 10 years.

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Tied at 14 heading into overtime, UCSB won the draw clean and Connor Udolph converted a break just eight seconds into the extra session, handing the Longhorns their first loss of the season.

In the second most exciting game of the quarterfinals, a Cinderella Utah Valley outfit, seeded 14th, had seemingly punched their ticket to Thursday by halftime, leading No. 6 Georgia Tech, 12-1, at the break.

The Yellow Jackets came out of the half on fire, however, scoring 10 goals in the third quarter and eventually drawing to within one late in the fourth. Several fantastic chances by the Wreck could not find their way into the net and the Wolverines countered to finally grab the 17-14 victory.

Utah Valley will meet UC Santa Barbara in the second (12:15 p.m.) Division I semifinal. The Wolverines are the lowest-seeded team in MCLA history to make the semifinals.

Top-seeded Brigham Young was being tested by No. 8 San Diego State early, but the well-rested Cougars were able to wear down the Aztecs in the second half for the 15-10 triumph. BYU’s opponent in the first semifinal at 9:30 a.m. will be No. 4 Liberty, which held off an upset-minded No. 12 Arizona State squad, 11-10.

Division II went complete chalk for the semis, setting up a pair of conference grudge matches. And if their previous meetings are any indication, the contests should be stellar.

The opening D-II semifinal (5 p.m.) is a retelling of the RMLC finals between No. 1 Air Force and No. 4 Montana State. The Falcons won the opening installment, rallying from a 10-9 deficit to start the fourth quarter with a 4-2 advantage in the final frame to post a 13-12 victory.

The usual suspects were in play in that contest and will be again. It’s easy to get caught as a prisoner of the moment and overanalyze Air Force’s performance against Bridgewater State and then Northwest Nazarene. Montana State slowing down Sam Gee and Mark Tang seems like a long shot, as well. We’ll just have to let this one play out and enjoy.

The second D-II semi and Thursday nightcap features a game that seemed predestined since the draw was announced. For the third time this season, UMLC conference rivals No. 2 St. Thomas and No. 3 Grand Valley State will tangle at 7:45 p.m.

The Lakers won the first matchup in overtime, 13-12, bolstered by five goals and a dime from Luke Tardich. The Tommies won the rematch in the UMLC championship game, helped by a 15-save performance from Gunner Arens. This is the fourth meeting semifinal meeting between the two, with each having a pair of wins. St. Thomas and GVSU have also met twice in the national championship game.