NEWBERG, Ore. -- The Bruins are headed to the NCAA DIII women's lacrosse tournament for the sixth straight year, facing Stevens Institute of Technology in Ewing, N.J. on Saturday, May 10th. 

After facing Willamette in the conference final the past two years, the Bruins finally faced another opponent. They took down No. 2 seeded Whitman 12-9 in a wire-to-wire win, fighting off a four-goal comeback by the Blues to punch their ticket to the national tournament. Fox played their way into the conference championship after defeating the Linfield Wildcats 19-10 in the semifinals. 

This year featured several changes for the Bruins, as first-year head coach Jordyn Merkel took the scene by storm. Despite the coaching change, the Bruins still had a phenomenal season, finishing 8-0 in conference play and extending their conference win streak to 83 games. They racked up a 14-4 record and closed out their schedule with ten straight wins. 

Merkel and the Bruins played one other opponent that made its way into the NCAA tournament this year, suffering a loss to Sewanee 9-18 earlier this year. After beating Whitman for a third time this year, though, the Bruins are ready to take their skills to the national level. 

"I'm just excited to experience the NCAA tournament with the team," said Bruins head coach Jordyn Merkel. "We're looking to continue the legacy of the program and are determined to get the team's first NCAA tournament win."

California has been the landing spot for the Bruins the past three years, facing Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in 2022 before taking on Pomona-Pitzer in back-to-back years. The Bruins are looking to win their first-ever game in the tournament, staring 17th-ranked Stevens right down the barrel. 

This is the first time the two squads have met, and the teams have no relevant common opponents stretching back the past four years. New Jersey is the furthest east that George Fox lacrosse has ever traveled, and the furthest since traveling to Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania in 2023. Stevens and Fox both play similar styles of lacrosse, as they're ranked No. 22 and No. 23 in the nation in scoring average.

The Ducks finished the 2025 regular season with a 15-4 regular season record, and punched their ticket after beating Lebanon Valley College in the MAC Freedom Championship on Saturday, May 3rd. Stevens has had some success in the NCAA tournament, beating Springfield College in round one of the tournament last year, before falling in the second round to No. 15 Babson College. This year marks their fourth consecutive to the tournament as MAC champions. 

If the Bruins can pull off the upset, they will stay in Ewing, N.J. to face The College Of New Jersey, who received a bye into the second round. 

The game is scheduled for 1:00 pm EST on Saturday, May 10th, with live stats and video linked on the Bruins' website. Ticketing will be accessed via the Bruin lacrosse schedule page when it becomes available.