ST. PAUL, Minn. — Second-seeded Connecticut College hung tough in the first half but saw third-seeded Austin College pull away in the second, falling by a 19-11 final in the semifinals of the 2023 CWPA Division III Championship at Riley Pool.

Emma Luna (Wahiawa, Hawaii) paced Conn's offense for the second straight game and finished with four goals. Gigi Sandull (Kenilworth, N.J.) added a hat trick while Maria Sell (San Mateo, Calif.) and Brooke Brandenburger (Sacramento, Calif.) tacked on two goals apiece.

Despite owning the higher seed, the Camels came into the contest as underdogs. Austin, the two-time defending CWPA champions, entered the tournament ranked seventh in the country in the latest women's varsity polls.

The Kangaroos got off to a quick start, scoring on their second possession of the day for a 1-0 advantage. Sandull answered less than a minute later, evening the score with an unexpected backhand from deep. A similar sequence played out minutes later, with Austin scoring from distance and Sandull responding with another backhand to make it 2-2.

Luna added a power play goal later in the quarter, but Austin took a 6-3 lead into the second period. The Camels made up ground behind goals by Luna, Brandenburger and Sell, trimming the deficit to 8-6 by intermission.

In the second half, Austin leaned on the speed of its deep roster to pull away. The Kangaroos, who were deadly on the counterattack all game, scored five unanswered goals to start the stanza. Luna and Sandull both notched their third goals late in the third, but the Camels still trailed 14-8 heading into the fourth.

Conn couldn't duplicate its fourth-quarter magic from the previous night, as the Kangaroos outscored the Camels 5-3 in the final period. Luna added her fourth goal of the game—and seventh of the tournament—while Sell and Brandenburger each tallied their second. 

Luna also recorded a team-high five steals on the day. Goalie Sarah Franco (Weston, Conn.) finished with seven saves. 

Austin's Cory McGrath led all scorers with five goals while Alyssa Ross and Maddie Jacks added four each.

With the loss, the Camels (10-8 overall) drop into the consolation bracket and will face host Macalester College in the third-place game on Sunday, April 23 at 1:00 p.m.