Tournament Central
NCAA Bracket
Live Stream
NCAA Live Stats
WCU Live Stats
WEST CHESTER, PA – On the strength of a nine-goal run and some outstanding goalkeeping in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Division II Women's Lacrosse Tournament Thursday afternoon, Limestone seized control of the game against its conference rival Wingate and rode that momentum to a 14-7 victory.
With that win, on the same day that white smoke billowed from the chimney of The Vatican in Rome, the Saints kept their program and playoff hopes alive while earning a shot at West Chester on Saturday at Vonnie Gros Field at 3 p.m. The first 100 WCU students with a valid school ID will have their tickets paid for by the Athletic Department.
It's been 12 years since the two Division II powers have met, and sometimes people forget what a rivalry this was in that void. But, on Saturday, West Chester and Limestone will line up opposite one another for the seventh time in the NCAA Tournament.
At the helm on each sideline are the two all-time winningest Division II head coaches in women's lacrosse history.
Ginny Martino and the Golden Rams have come out on top in four of the six previous tournament encounters against Scott Tucker and Limestone. The two legendary coaches have met four times at the national semifinals with Martino holding a 3-1 edge over Tucker.
Together, Martino and Tucker have won 777 lacrosse games in their illustrious careers which span more than two decades (27 years for Martino; 25 years for Tucker) -- the most combined wins between opposing coaches in Division II history, and each has also managed to win more than 82 percent of those games. Martino has already been inducted into the International Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) coaching hall of fame, and Tucker is a shoo-in to join her at some point.
With the announcement this past spring that Limestone will be closing its doors at the end of the semester, it is only fitting that lacrosse fans are treated to a West Chester-Limestone dual one more time.
It's West Chester's high-powered offensive attack against Limestone's grinding defense. The Golden Rams average scoring a little over 18 goals per game – second in all of Division II entering the tournament – while Limestone only surrenders 7.4 goals per contest. Limestone successfully clears the ball almost 88 percent of time, and West Chester's ride game only allows opponents to be successful clearing 71 percent of the time. Can Limestone's speed through the midfield create scoring opportunities in unsettled situations? Can West Chester's offense crack Limestone's blue wall and get to the goal? Those are just some of the questions waiting to be answered Saturday.
A trip to the Atlantic Region Finals next Saturday is on the line in this showdown. The other regional semifinal pits Slippery Rock against East Stroudsburg up in the Poconos on the campus of ESU. West Chester and East Stroudsburg are looking to make it six straight years in the Atlantic Region Final. Limestone is looking for a return to the regional finals for the first time since 2021 while Slippery Rock, in its first NCAA Tournament, would like to make it three wins over the Warriors this season.
