By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University will play Whitman College for the third time this season in the semifinals of the 2023 Northwest Conference Women's Lacrosse Tournament on Saturday, April 22 in Newberg, Oregon. It will be the second game between the Bearcats and the Blues in seven days. Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m. (PDT). Whitman is the #2 seed and Willamette is the #3 seed, but both teams finished 9-3 in the NWC during the regular season. Willamette is 12-4 overall and Whitman owns a 12-5 overall record.

This weekend's event is the first NWC Tournament in women's lacrosse. Four teams will be competing, with regular season champion George Fox hosting. The Bruins, 17-1 overall and 12-0 in the NWC, will take on #4-seeded Whitworth University, 6-11 on the season and 4-8 in the NWC, in the opening game at 12 p.m. (PDT).

In the first meeting between Willamette and Whitman, the Blues won 19-9 in Walla Walla, Washington, on Sunday, March 12. When the teams met again on Sunday, April 16, at Sparks Field in Salem, Oregon, the Bearcats won 13-12 by ending the game with a 5-1 run. Tati Klenk (Sr., ATT, Truckee, CA/Tahoe Truckee HS) scored the game-winning goal, her fifth goal of the game, with 3:30 remaining.

Willamette has scored 242 goals this season, while allowing 165 goals. The Bearcats have five players who have scored more than 30 goals and two more players with at least 10 goals.

Klenk leads Willamette with a school record 67 goals. Catie Kawamura (Sr., ATT, San Diego, CA/San Diego International Studies) has scored 43 goals, while Maddie Garcia (Sr., MID, Encinitas, CA/San Dieguito Academy) has provided 38 goals. Lily Bachiochi (So., ATT, Henderson, NV/Coronado HS) has contributed 37 goals and 38 assists for a team-high 75 points. Claire Kisielnicki (Fy., ATT, Manitou Springs, CO/Manitou Springs HS) is next on the goal-scoring chart with 31 goals.

Adding to the team's depth on the attack are Shea Richardson-Pepper (So., DEF/MID, San Diego, CA/Scripps Ranch HS) with 11 goals and Brooklynn Pearl (Fy., MID, Eugene, OR/Willamette HS) with 10 goals. Kawamura, Richardson-Pepper, and Pearl lead WU's draw control efforts. Kawamura has a team-high 76 draw controls, while Richardson-Pepper ranks second with 64, and Pearl is third with 27.

Klenk has provided the Bearcats with 31 goals in the last five games. She leads the team with 115 total shots and 93 shots on goal.

Goalkeeper Shelby Sawyer (Sr., GK, Marysville, WA/Bio Med Academy) has been a key player on defense this season. She has earned an 11-4 record while making 136 saves and a 10.98 goals against average. She caused a turnover with about 50 seconds left in the victory over Whitman that allowed the Bearcats to run out the clock.

Shelby registered a school record 19 saves against the Blues after achieving 14 saves at Whitman earlier in the season. She was credited with 45 saves in WU's last three games of the regular season.

Whitman's top scorer is Madeleine Sherry with 73 goals and 32 assists for 105 points. Erin Magnuson has supplied the Blues with 49 goals and nine assists, while Gracie Maulik has recorded 55 goals and 12 assists. Eliza Daigle has scored 35 goals to go with 32 assists.

Goalie Korin Wheaton possesses an 8.60 goals against average and has allowed just 129 goals in 900 minutes played. She has provided 136 saves.

The winners of Saturday's semifinal games will play for the NWC Tournament title on Sunday, April 23. Game time is slated for 1 p.m. (PDT).