For the second year in a row, the Lindenwood women's lacrosse team fell just two wins short of its ultimate goal. The No. 3 Lady Lions lost in the NCAA Division II National Tournament semifinals on Saturday in Salem, Va. by an 11-6 score to No. 1 Lock Haven.
 
In a battle between the No. 1 scoring offense and No. 1 scoring defense in the country, Lock Haven's defense was the difference in the contest. Lindenwood did outshoot Lock Haven 26-22, but the Bald Eagles' pressure caused 10 of those shots to miss the net, and another nine shots were saved by first-team All-American goalie Chrissy Baffuto. Lock Haven also won the important draw control category by a 2:1 margin.
 
Lindenwood has faced Lock Haven three times in the last two seasons, including last year's national semifinals. In all three contests, the Lady Lions started slow and had to fight an uphill battle for most of the game. Saturday followed that pattern as the Bald Eagles jumped out to a 5-1 lead midway through the first half. Lindenwood scored twice in the final 8:11 of the half to pull within 5-3.
 
The start of the second half was once again all Lock Haven. The Bald Eagles outscored the Lady Lions 3-0 over the first ten minutes of the final half. Lindenwood had one more run, as it scored three straight to get the score within 8-6. Lock Haven won the next two draw controls though and scored twice in a 46-second span to put the game away. The Bald Eagles scored one more time, and was then able to run the rest of the clock out.
 
Lindenwood was led by Maddi Ossello who scored three goals. Melissa Menchella added two goals to her school-record career total, and Jordyn Constance had one score. Allison Hurley had two assists and Kara Wendell had one. Savannah Phillips had a team-high three groundballs and was one of five Lady Lions to cause one turnover. Bailey Knapton and Ossello each had two draw controls. Rachel Ortell made six saves in goal.

Following Sunday's championship game, Ossello and Menchella were named to the NCAA National Championship All-Tournament team.
 
Lindenwood ends its best season in program history with a 19-2 overall record. The Lady Lions won the RMAC regular season and tournament championships, and advanced to the NCAA Regional finals for the second time in as many seasons.
 
The Lady Lions will lose seven seniors, including six who have been with the team since its inaugural NCAA season. That class of Danielle Budde, Lindsey Palmer, Renee Abrolat, Taylor Mayeda, Menchella, and Jamie Miller finish their careers by having a 64-10 record in a Lindenwood uniform.