This is it. Just two teams remain in the 2023 DII women's lacrosse championship. West Chester, which is playing in the national championship game for the 11th time in program history, squares off against Pace, which looks to continue its historic run with the program's first-ever title.
TOURNEY TIME: Relive the bracket here
How to watch the DII women's lacrosse championship game
West Chester and Pace will face off at Key Stadium in Indianapolis on Sunday, May 21 at 2 p.m. ET. You can watch all the action right here on NCAA.com at this streaming link.
West Chester vs. Pace, previewed
The DII women's lacrosse championship began in 2001. So the fact that West Chester is in the title game for the 11th time tells you what you need to know about this team on a historical level. However, in all those trips, the Golden Rams have only raised the trophy twice, last winning in 2008. Now they are looking to accomplish the feat perfectly, entering the game at 22-0. West Chester is on a mission, averaging 16.3 goals per game in the tournament thus far with a pair of lopsided victories, so the defense has shown up as well. Lindsey Monigle leads the offense in scoring and had a five-goal performance in the semifinals, her sixth-straight game with multiple goals.
Opposite the Golden Rams is the Setters. Pace is a program in uncharted territory, but you would never know it. This offense looks quite comfortable, scoring 17.3 goals per game in the tournament thus far, and has won each game by no fewer than six goals. The Setters' scoring comes from all angles, as both Jolie Urraro and Angelina Porcello scored five goals each in the 22-point semifinals onslaught. Emma Raftery, Sydney Juvelier and Aleya Corretjer all added a hat trick in the victory over Florida Southern as well. On the season, Pace has five scorers with more than 45 goals, and that depth of scoring will make things hard on any defense, even West Chester's â which was the second-best in DII women's lacrosse this year.
| STATS | Pace | WEST CHESTER |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 20-2 | 22-0 |
| Goals | 402 | 398 |
| Assists | 175 | 189 |
| Ground balls | 428 | 512 |
| Shot % | .491 | .503 |
| Shots on goal % | .778 | .785 |
| Scoring defense | 7.95 | 7.05 |
Prediction: Who wins the DII women's lacrosse national championship?
This is a tough question. Look at the stats: These are two very evenly matched teams. Expand it to the entire DII women's lacrosse landscape and these two teams are top three in scoring offense and top seven in scoring defense. This game seems like it's going to go down to the wire, and one mistake may be the factor that crowns our new DII women's lacrosse champion.
So, who do I foresee winning it all? Last year UIndy made program history and won its first national title. The year before, it was Lindenwood who made program history and won its first national title. With that depth of scoring and equally matched goalkeepers, I think the trend continues, and we see more history made in 2023.
Prediction: Pace 15, West Chester 13
