HOUSTON, Texas-The Limestone College women's lacrosse team lost to West Chester University 17-9 in the NCAA Division II semifinals on Thursday at Memorial Park. Limestone ends its season with a 17-2 overall record while the Rams improve to 19-1.

The match was intense in the opening minutes of the first half as the scoring went back and forth between the two teams. Limestone took a two-goal lead (5-3) with 16:04 left on the clock, but the West Chester defense allowed no more goals for the remainder of the half as the Rams attack recorded five straight goals for the 8-5 advantage at halftime.

The Rams had a 13-6 advantage with 20:47 remaining in the game, but the Lady Saints started to chip away at WCU's lead with a goal from Lauryn Wise (Pasadena, Md.) and back-to-back goals from Kelly Oterson (Islip Terrace, N.Y.). But, Oterson's final goal at 9:26 was Limestone's last of the contest, as West Chester recorded three more goals for the 17-9 win.

The Rams had the 40-29 advantage on shots and edged Limestone 19-15 on ground balls. The Lady Saints won 16 of 28 draw controls.

Limestone goalkeeper Erin Cavanaugh (Ellicott City, Md.) posted 11 saves, five ground balls, and four caused turnovers. Wise led Limestone with three goals, while Oterson had two. Melissa Howard (Ferndale, Md.), Katie Ilott (Whitby, Ontario, Canada), Chrissy Grogg (Taberg, N.Y.), and Shea Farrell (Blue Point, N.Y.) also scored. Ilott led the Lady Saints with five draw controls.

Today marked Limestone's third appearance in the NCAA Division II tournament as the team also competed in the semifinals in 2004 and 2006. This year, Limestone earned its fifth straight Conference Carolinas regular season championship, its second conference tournament championship, and set a new school record for most wins in a single season with 17. This afternoon's loss marked Limestone's first loss of the season to a Division II opponent as the Lady Saints only other loss this season was against Davidson (NCAA Division I).

West Chester  8    9   17
Limestone     5    4    9

West Chester SCORING:
GOALS: Jackie Baker 8; Claire Grimwood 3; Nicole Haines 2; Gina DiDomenicis 2; Stephanie Kienle 1; Courtney Whiting 1.
ASSISTS: Stephanie Kienle 4; Jackie Baker 2; Claire Grimwood 2; Shannon Hayes 2; Nicole Haines 1; Gabrielle Stitz 1.

Limestone SCORING:
GOALS: Wise, Lauryn 3; Oterson, Kelly 2; Howard, Melissa 1; Ilott, Katie 1; Grogg, Chrissy 1; Farrell, Shea 1.
ASSISTS: Ferraro, Summer 1; Lickert, Kelly 1; Pesce, Marissa 1.

2008-05-16