WESTFIELD, Mass.   – Westfield State University women's lacrosse will play #9-ranked University of Mary Washington (Va.) in Middletown, Conn. the first round of the 2019 NCAA Division III women's lacrosse national championship tournament, it was announced on a web stream NCAA.com selection show late Sunday evening.

The first two rounds of the tournament will be played on Saturday, May 11 and Sunday, May 12, with the winner of the Westfield State – Mary Washington game advancing to play host Wesleyan University on Sunday.

The Owls will be making their third-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and third overall.

Westfield State earned an automatic bid to the tournament by virtue of winning the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference title yesterday with a 13-12 win at Framingham State University.

The Owls have an 11-9 overall record, and have won six straight games and nine of their last 11.

Mary Washington earned an at large bid to the tournament after finishing the season with a 15-4 overall record.  The Eagles fell to York (Pa.) by a 12-11 score in the CAC semifinals this past week.  The Eagles were ranked ninth in the nation in the most recent IWLCA coaches' poll.

It will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Westfield is 2-2 overall in NCAA Tournament play, winning their first-round game vs. Castleton (Vt.) University in 2017 and a first-round game over Morrisville (N.Y.) State in 2018.  Westfield was eliminated from the 2018 tournament by eventual two-time national champion Gettysburg College.

A total of 42 teams were selected, with 31 automatic bids for conference champions and 11 at-large bids.

More details on game times, tickets, and video coverage will be posted on WestfieldStateOwls.com as it becomes available.

Release courtesy of Westfield State Sports Information