NEWBERG, Ore. -- The Bruins win the conference tournament 12-9 after a tense battle against the Whitman Blues. 

How It Happened
The Bruins got out to yet another quick start to the game, slotting in the first two goals of the game. Just under three minutes into the game, Lana Davis found Claire Abraham in traffic to break the scoring. Davis got in on the action just 38 seconds later, getting open and slotting in her first goal of the day. The Blues struck back immediately after, scoring the next two goals to tie the game at two apiece. Ava Bluhm closed out the scoring in the first quarter, notching her first of the day to give the Bruins a 3-2 first-quarter lead. 

In the second quarter, the Bruins kept their foot on the gas, scoring two goals in the first two minutes of the quarter. Abraham scored her second of the day after an assist from Bluhm, then Morgan Maxfield got on the scoresheet on a free position attempt. After some back and forth possessions for both teams, the Bruins secured their largest lead of the day after Sasha Thayer found Bluhm wide open in front of the net. The Blues cut the lead to two, but the Bruins scored twice in the final three minutes to give them an 8-4 first half lead. Maxfield scored her second goal of the day with an assist from Stela Flores, and Naomi Rauch also netted her first and only goal of the game to close out the scoring for the half. 

The third quarter was all Blues as they crawled their way back into the game. Whitman scored the first goal of the quarter, as Sarah Hawkins scored a free position attempt following a yellow card on Shae Katagi. Following a saved free position attempt, the Blues went in transition and scored yet again, following that up immediately with a goal by Gracie Maulik to make it 8-7. To continue the scoring frenzy, Fox got in on the action after a great solo effort by Abraham. The Blues continued on the coattails of their momentum, scoring a nifty free-position attempt and forcing a George Fox timeout. Both defenses stayed strong the rest of the way, keeping the score 9-8 in favor of the Bruins heading into the fourth quarter. 

Following a key save from Myah Pack, the Bruins immediately went into their transition offense to start the fourth. Maxfield found Bluhm wide open in front of the net, making it a two-goal lead for the Bruins. The Blues struck right back off a free-position attempt, bringing Fox's lead back to one. The Blues seemed to be building some momentum, but after missing a shot wide, the Bruins transition offense struck yet again. Davis found Merrick Gibson to give the Bruins an 11-9 lead with 4:05 to go. Bluhm struck just over two minutes later, dodging two defenders to put the Bruins up three with 1:27 left. This proved to be the deciding blow, as the Bruins were able to run out the clock to finish the game with a score of 12-9. 

Top Performers
Ava Bluhm had a fantastic day offensively, scoring four goals and assisting one. Claire Abraham also balled out, scoring three goals, winning five draws, and causing three turnovers. Myah Pack had several big saves, finishing with nine in a well-played game. 

What It Means
The Bruins have secured their ticket to the NCAA Division III tournament after winning the NWC tournament. They will find out where they head tomorrow at 7:30 am PST following the NCAA DIII selection show. This is their ninth straight conference title, and their sixth straight NCAA tournament appearance, continuing the legacy of George Fox Lacrosse. 

What Happens Next
The Bruins will turn their focus to the NCAA tournament next weekend, with a game most likely scheduled for Saturday, May 10th. Their opponent is currently TBD. If interested in the post-game press conferences, they are located on the GFU Athletics on-demand video page linked here.