CMS Women's Lacrosse Falls in SCIAC Championship Game

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Cate Lewison and Catherine Murphy each scored three goals to help keep Claremont-Mudd-Scripps within 8-6 at the half, but the top-seeded Pomona-Pitzer women's lacrosse team was able to pull away late and take an 18-8 win over the Athenas on Saturday night in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament finals.

CMS slips to 13-6 on the season with the loss, while Pomona-Pitzer moves to 17-1 and earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Kendall Chapko had a career-high 18 saves to help keep CMS in it for most of the game, as Pomona-Pitzer held a 50-16 advantage in shots.  

Murphy and Lewison closed out the first half with goals to make it an 8-6 game going into the break, but Pomona-Pitzer scored the first four goals of the second half. Lewison stopped the run by scoring off the draw control after the Sagehens scored with 11 seconds left in the third, beating the buzzer to make it 12-7 going into the fourth. 

The Sagehens, though, were able to wear down the Athenas in the fourth and pull away for the 18-8 win.

CMS will await NCAA selections on Monday to see if it earns an invitation back to the NCAA Division III Championship, after last competing in 2022 in a regional held at Pomona-Pitzer.