NEWBERG, Ore. – Whitworth fell to host George Fox 20-2 in the semifinals of the inaugural Northwest Conference women's lacrosse tournament on Saturday afternoon.

The top-seeded Bruins improved to 16-1 and advanced to Sunday's championship game which will determine the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.  The Pirates end the year 6-12.  Whitworth established a new high-water mark for victories in a season in 2023.

GFU jumped out to a 9-0 lead after one quarter and never looked back.  The Bruins outshot the Bucs 11-2 in the period.  Nikki Beers scored the first goal of the second quarter to get Whitworth on the board.  Rebecca Irwin scored the final goal of the period with 11 seconds left.  The Pirates trailed 14-2 at the half.  The Bruins outscored the Pirates 6-0 in the second half.

George Fox finished with advantages of 31-14 in shots, 28-12 in shots on-goal, 16-9 in draw controls and 25-20 in ground balls.  Whitworth committed 22 turnovers.

Marina Tharpe led George Fox with five goals and three assists, while Carleigh DeLapp had two goals and five assists.  Ava Bluhm scored four goals.

The Pirates will return all 12 starters in 2024, the majority of whom were first and second-year players this season.