The No. 3 ranked Lindenwood women's lacrosse team defeated the No. 12 ranked Limestone Saints 12-5 on Sunday afternoon in a non-conference showdown from Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Mo.

Prior to the start of the game, the Lady Lions honored their all-time leading point and goal scorer, Melissa Menchella with the retirement of her #22 jersey. Menchella is the first Lindenwood student-athlete in the NCAA era to have her number retired, as no other Lindenwood women's lacrosse player will ever wear the #22.

Lindenwood scored twice in the opening 1:56, gaining an early 2-0 advantage. Jordyn Constance and Sophie Buelow were the goal scorers for the Lady Lions. The Saints would cut the Lindenwood lead in half shortly thereafter on a free position shot, bringing the score to 2-1. The Lady Lions received back-to-back scores from Maddi Ossello and Sarah Goetz to move ahead by a score of 4-1. Limestone capitalized on another free position attempt at the 13:42 mark of the first half, drawing the Saints within two goals of the Lady Lions. Lindenwood then rattled off three consecutive scores over a 5:04 span, making the score 7-2. Rachel Benzing, Amanda Schimpke, and Constance tallied the goals for the Lady Lions. Limestone would strike once more before the half came to an end on a free position attempt, making the score 7-3 at halftime.

Similair to the first half of play, Lindenwood began the second half with the first two goals. Ossello and Schimpke notched the goals for the Lady Lions, growing their lead to 9-3. Limestone and Lindenwood would alternate scoring the next three goals, making the score 10-5. Morgan Judd would record the unassisted goal for Lindenwood with 13:05 remaining in the game. Schimpke and Ossello would each find the back of the cage once more over the final 6:43 of play, pushing Lindenwood ahead by the final score of 12-5.
In goal for the Lady Lions, Rachel Ortell turned in a seven save performance, en route to her fifth win of the season. Ortell came up large for the Lady Lions, making some momentum shifting saves during the second half of play.

For the game, Lindenwood held the edge in shots (34-15), ground balls (22-15), and draw controls (10-9). The Lady Lions failed to score on either of their free position attempts, while the Saints converted on three of their six chances.

Seven different Lady Lions recorded at least one goal, while Schimpke and Ossello each poured in a game high three goals. Benzing scooped up a team-high four groundballs, Ossello secured a team-leading five draw controls, and Erin Abbott caused a game-high four turnovers.  

Following the victory, the Lady Lions improve their season record to 9-0. With the loss, the Saints move their season record to 6-2. Lindenwood will conclude its three-game homestand on Saturday, March 26 during a 7:00 p.m. matchup with the Florida Institute of Technology Panthers.