It is tough to win a conference championship in any sport.  It is even tougher to defend that title and repeat.  The toughest thing might be to defeat a great team twice in the same season to clinch a second-consecutive conference championship.  Therefore, as a competitor, there is no better setting.

This team knew what it took to win a championship and the preparations began well before the season.
"We spent the entire preseason preparing for that game," said captain Jamie Miller, "Our coaches did an outstanding job at preparing us for that game too. Conditioning was a major factor, so we definitely experienced mental toughness in the weeks prior."

After suffering their first loss of the season in a one-goal game against No. 5 Rollins at home five days prior, the Lady Lions lacrosse team had a chance to stay undefeated in the WILA and hold sole possession of first place in the conference on a cold Thursday night at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Mo.

The Lady Lions were hosting a tough opponent in Regis, whom they had beaten by just two goals in Denver, Colo. earlier in the season. The first game against Regis was a dog fight. Lindenwood trailed for the first time all season when the team was down 7-6 in the first half. The Lady Lions were trailing 13-12 late in the second half but held Regis scoreless for the final 12 minutes and reeled off three goals to take the lead for good.

"It's one of the toughest places to play in the NCAA," said assistant coach Brian Smith about Regis. "It's tough to beat any team twice in a season especially a conference rival, but the team was prepared. After we were able to get the road win in Denver we ended up with the title game at Hunter Stadium and we like our chances against anybody at Hunter."
And Hunter Stadium was exactly where the team's biggest game  of the season would happen. Regis once again was the opponent but this time it was for the conference championship.

"Any time we face Regis we know it's going to be a dog fight," Smith said. "That night was special from the beginning, Thursday night under the lights at Hunter for the championship."

This game was more than just a championship game. The two teams were the only two teams that had ever won the WILA title and the history of great games between them set up for an epic night.

"We just received our first national ranking two days prior, and players on both teams that were high school rivals or teammates made it even more interesting," Smith said. "It all just fed into the championship atmosphere. You could tell our girls were ready from the moment they started warm ups. They had that refuse to lose attitude."

"Since we weren't able to compete in the NCAA championships, that's what we as a team were looking forward to the most, to beat our rivals and to win conference for a second year in a row," said Miller.

It didn't take the Lady Lions long to get on the scoreboard. Just 1:54 into the contest Justiene Groothuis scored two goals to give Lindenwood the early lead. After falling behind early Regis responded and responded in a big way.

The Rangers netted three goals in a seven minute span to take a one goal lead. Lindenwood would turn to its top goal-scorer, Shelby Polk, who tied the game up at three then scored another one less than a minute later to give the lead back to the home team. The Lady Lions extended their lead up to as many as four with just over two minutes to go in the first half. Regis scored a late first half goal to cut its deficit to three.  

The momentum that the Rangers gained late in the first half did not carry over to the final half when Lindenwood scored the first three goals to take a commanding six goal lead. The Rangers would cut the lead down to five on two occasions but that was as close as they would get.

The Lady Lions were victorious beating their rivals 18-12 and were crowned the WILA Conference champions.
Miller described the moment at the final buzzer as one she will never forget.

"My favorite moment during the Regis game was when the final buzzer went off. We all ran straight to center field and were literally screaming," Miller said. "I hugged one of my teammates, Melissa Menchella, and I remember being so happy and just giving God the glory for the win."

The Lady Lions beat Colorado Mesa two days later on Senior Day to stay undefeated in conference play.  McKendree would be the last team on the schedule and the last team in the way of an undefeated season in the WILA. Lindenwood dominated the game 21-3 to sweep the WILA. 

"Going undefeated in conference for the second year in a row was big for the program. It has helped us set a standard for each and every team to follow in the future," Smith said.

"As a captain, winning conference this year was amazing. It was my first year as a captain, so to win conference as a rookie leader felt amazing," said Miller. "Justine Groothius, our other captain, and I really grew as leaders throughout the year."

The Lady Lions coaching staff felt that the 2013 season was a huge step in the direction they would like this program to head in. "The biggest accomplishment of the season was being ranked #15 in the national poll," said Smith.

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