WICHITA, Kan. — Last year, CSU San Marcos arrived in Wichita as the No. 1 seed in the USA Lacrosse WCLA tournament’s Division II bracket, advanced to the national semifinals, and got steamrolled, falling 12-2 to eventual champion Vermont.
One year later, the Cougars faced a similar scenario.
Once again, CSU San Marcos arrived at this week’s WCLA championship tournament as the top seed and easily made its way into the semifinal round. But this year, the Cougars had clear intentions on rewriting the ending to the script.
On Thursday afternoon, they started that process by downing No. 5 Florida Atlantic, 9-5, earning their first championship game appearance. CSU San Marcos will face Montana State in Friday’s national championship game at 10:30 a.m. Central.
“From the start of our fall season, we’ve talked about pushing past that loss from last year,” said club president and senior defender Audrey Street. “We’ve talked a lot about positivity and mindset, and implementing the feedback that we get. I think that helped us to perform here.”
With the score knotted at 4 late in the second quarter, it was freshman Shea Morgan who began scripting a new outcome for CSUSM. Morgan scored three straight goals over the closing 3:09 of the quarter to give the Cougars a 7-4 halftime lead.
The second half then belonged to Street, goalie Cierraleone Warfield (9 saves), and the rest of the San Marcos defense, which limited Florida Atlantic to just one goal over the final 35 minutes of the game.
“Our defense is a very tight knit group,” Street said. “We have a lot of trust in our teammates, that they are going to do their part, and I think that’s what makes us a strong unit.”
Morgan and All-America attacker Angela Chantaca each finished with three goals for CSU San Marcos, which carries a perfect 12-0 record into Friday’s championship game.
The nightcap featured two semifinal first-timers in Montana State and Bosie State, but two teams that are well acquainted. As members of the Rocky Mountain Women’s Lacrosse League, the teams were squaring off for the fourth time in 2025.
Despite winning all three prior matchups, Boise State had few answers on Thursday as Montana seized control early and registered a 9-6 victory. Five straight goals by the Bobcats over the final 17 minutes of the first half allowed them to build a cushion they wouldn’t relinquish.
Midfielder Grace Stanton recorded two goals during that run, while Ellie Ramsing had one goal and one assist. Stanton, Ramsing, and Becca Zerr all finished with two goals apiece for MSU.
Boise State goalie Emily Brown kept her team in the game, especially in the second half, finishing with 18 saves.
Montana State advances to the national championship in their first ever tournament appearance.
Video streaming of all D-I and D-II games is available throughout the tournament.
Lacrosse Specialties, Here We Flo, Powell Lacrosse, Gatorade, and GoLive Sports serve as official event sponsors for the 2025 USA Lacrosse WCLA Championships, with local support provided by Wichita Youth Lacrosse, Visit Wichita, and Chicken N Pickle of Wichita. In addition, STX provides support for the Elevate 28 youth clinic scheduled for Friday, May 9.
