The Rhodes Lynx once again find themselves in the NCAA Tournament following an undefeated run through the Southern Athletic Association, the fifth straight year that they did not lose a game to an SAA foe. With one of the highest-scoring offenses in the country, and a roster loaded with talent on both ends of the field, head coach Meghan Keelan has the Lynx poised to make a run through the national tournament. Here is a look at Rhodes and what to expect from their opponents this weekend. Both games will be played on the campus of Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.

Rhodes (14-3) will face Aurora University (14-5) on Saturday, May 14 at 1:00 pm EST. Should they prevail, they will then play the host Kenyon (15-1) on Sunday, May 15 at 1:00 pm EST. 

Kenyon Tournament Webpage (Links to live video and stats)

OFFENSE
Rhodes: 323 goals in 17 games, 19.0 per game
Aurora: 293 goals in 19 games, 15.42 per game
Kenyon: 225 in 16 games, 14.06 per game

The Lynx are the 6th highest-scoring team in all of Division III. They are led by SAA Player of the Year, Baylee Barker, who scored 70 goals this season. She was helped by Emily Bruner, who led all NCAA players (including D-I and D-II) in assists with 96. Payton Bennett has been the perfect complement to the duo, scoring 57 goals and handing out 24 helpers. The Lynx have nine players who scored at least ten goals this season. 

Monique Gibson has found the net 71 times for the Aurora Spartans. She also has 23 assists, giving her a whopping 94 points on the year. Strangely enough, she did not take home the NACC Player of the Year award; that honor was bestowed on teammate Bailey Simpson who had totals of 42 goals and 21 assists for the season. The Spartans are an unselfish group, with seven players who have both double-digit goals as well as double-digit assists.  

Caroline O'Neil was the top scorer for the Ladies. The junior led Kenyon in goals (50), assists (17), and points (67) this season, and was named the NCAC Player of the Year for her efforts. Maddie Garner and Ella Murphy joined her on the all-conference team with 32 and 37 goals each, respectively. Oddly enough, of their 225 goals, only 66 featured an assist. 

DEFENSE
Rhodes: 136 allowed, 8.0 per game
Aurora: 143 allowed, 7.2 per game
Kenyon: 114 allowed, 7.12 per game

The Lynx feature an aggressive defense that presses hard for almost the entire length of the field, and forces a ton of turnovers. Opposing teams were only successful on 188 of 349 clear attempts this year, a percentage of 53.8%. Rhodes caused 202 turnovers, with Barker leading the way at 29. Freshman Bari Pinkett is a pest for opposing attackers, and earned All-SAA honors in her first year on the field. Emma Bradley was named the top goalie in the SAA after posting a 14-3 record with 123 saves and a .504 save percentage. 

Aurora boasted similar numbers to the Lynx, allowing only 58.6% of opponent clears to be successful. They caused 180 turnovers, and have six players who caused at least 15 by themselves. Jalyn Yaukovitz controls the middle of the field with numbers of 40 ground balls, 36 caused turnovers and 32 draw controls. Alexis Crowley had the most time in goal for the Spartans, posting a 10-4 record with 100 saves and 102 goals allowed. 

Kenyon's defensive numbers don't jump off the page, with an opponent clear percentage of 71.4% and only 112 caused turnovers. Only three players had double-digit caused turnovers for the Ladies. Nola Garand was solid in goal however, allowing only 92 scores while saving 93 shots. She finished the regular season with a 14-1 record. 

CONFERENCE PLAY
All three teams went undefeated in both their conference regular seasons and postseason tournaments.  

PREVIOUS MATCHUPS
Rhodes and Aurora matched up on March 9, 2017 with the Lynx taking the win, 19-6. Rhodes and Kenyon have not met each other on the field.