Box Score

DURANGO, Colo. — Melissa Menchella scored six goals to lead Lindenwood (14-2 overall, 7-0 in the Western Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association) to a 20-15 win over Fort Lewis (6-8, 3-4) yesterday at Ray Dennison Memorial Field.

In the process, the Lions captured the WILA championship, marking the first-ever conference championship at the NCAA Division II level for the St. Charles, Mo.-based university. Lindenwood teams are in the process of transitioning from NAIA to NCAA Division II and compete in the Heart of America Conference in most sports and the WILA in men's and women's lacrosse.

Adams, the 5-foot-2 midfield/defense from nearby Montezuma-Cortez High School who has started every game in the history of Fort Lewis' women's lacrosse program, kept the home crowd waiting until the final 10 minutes when she beat ASC goalkeeper Danica Kristiansen.

“Today was a tough game,” said second-year FLC head coach Kelsey MacDonald. “We played well for the majority of the game. We had a lapse in the last 7:30 of the first half … when they went on to score seven unanswered goals. Once we went down by 10, we started to crawl our way back by winning the draws and capitalizing on our scoring opportunities. Lindenwood is a good team that when given the opportunity can put the ball in the back of the net. It really came down to the draws today.”

The teams played level lacrosse for the first 22 minutes of the game. FLC's Brook Wineland tied the score at 5-5 on an assist by Jessica Norby with 8:39 remaining in the first half.

That ignited the 7-0 run that saw the Lions take control of the game and a 12-5 lead into intermission. Backbreakers were last-minute goals by Jordyn Constance (with 29 seconds left) and Justiene Groothuis (with six ticks left before halftime).

The Skyhawks closed the gap to four goals at 19-15 late in the second frame, but could get no closer.

Groothuis, Lindsey Palmer, and Kathryn St. George all had three-goal hat tricks for the Lions.

Norby had five goals and one assist to lead the Skyhawks. Ally Kvidera had four goals and two assists, while Wineland added four goals and one helper.

Shots were even at 38-38. Lindenwood goalie Christine Hehmeyer made a dozen saves, while her Skyhawk counterpart, Genna Waugh, stopped eight shots.

The Lions had a 21-16 advantage in draw controls, with Stephanie Tirman leading the way individually with six controls. FLC's Wineland led all players with seven draw controls.

Fort Lewis had more ground balls (35-30) than their guests, with Amanda Hoffmeyer winning eight ground balls. Hehmeyer had 13 ground balls for the Lions.

The Skyhawks close out their 2012 campaign at 1 p.m. today (Sunday, April 29) when they host Adams State (1-9 overall, 0-7 WILA) at Ray Dennison Memorial Field. The game marks the final collegiate game for four-year starter Jessica Adams — the only player to start every game in the history of the FLC women's lacrosse program.