ST. LOUIS, Mo.— The William Woods University women's soccer team will look to win its second American Midwest Conference (AMC) Tournament Championship in program history on Thursday, as the Owls take on No. 2-seeded Missouri Baptist University. Kick-off will start at 1 p.m., from Scott Gallagher Soccer Park in Fenton, Missouri.
The Owls (12-6-2; 8-1-2 AMC), advanced to the AMC Championship for the first time since 2008, after upsetting No. 1-seed Columbia College on Monday night, winning 1-0.
The team scored the game winner at the 1:48 mark of the first half, as a corner kick from senior
Ashley Deckard, found the head of
Jamie Palermo, who flicked the ball just inside the left goal post, giving WWU a 1-0 lead.
The Owls defense, along with goaltender
Brittany Griffin, kept the shutout intact the rest of the game with stellar defense and key saves when needed.
With the win, the team has won its fifth straight game, while in its last four games, the Owls have shutout its opponents and outscored them 12-0.
On the season, WWU is led by junior
Jordan McNamara scoring a career-high 14 goals and adding five assists, for 33 points. Senior
Rachel Meyer has scored eight goals in the last seven games, giving her 12 on the season and is second on the team in assists, chipping in seven.
Deckard's assist against the Cougars gives her 10 on the season, matching her career-high, which she set back in 2012. The Granite City, Illinois, native, is one assist away from tying the single season record in assists, as she would join Erin Jewell (2001) and Sarah Moranville (2003) atop the record books. Â
In net, Griffin has started in 18 games, making 90 saves in 1604:38 minutes played, having a save percentage of .804 and a goals against average of 1.23, all of which are current career-highs for the sophomore net minder.
These two teams' met back on September 30
th in a very evenly matched game, as WWU outshot the Spartans (11-5-4; 9-1-1 AMC) 15-14, but it ended in a 1-1 tie.
The scoring got started in the eighth minute, as
Brittainy German found the back of the net, off an assist from Meyer, giving the Owls a 1-0 lead.
MBU, however, scored the equalizer in the 61
st minute in the second half, as Mary Lee tied it up off an assist from Lauren Guerrero.
The Spartans advanced to the AMC Championship, after defeating Park University 4-1 on Monday afternoon.
After trailing 1-0 in the eighth minute, MBU rattled off four unanswered goals, as Donna Jolliff, Taylor Giese (two) and Argell London scored for the Spartans in the three goal victory.
On the season, Missouri Baptist is led by Jolliff, scoring a team-high 15 goals in 18 games. Giese's two goals against the Pirates give her seven on the year, while Lee has contributed six. Hannah McElroy leads MBU with seven assists, while four other Spartans have added four assists.
In net, Kathryn Kessler has played in 1446:29 minutes, making 78 saves, for a save percentage of .804 and owns a goals against average of 1.18.
The winner of tomorrow afternoon's game will also earn an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round.
Fans make sure to stay updated on wwuowls.com tomorrow night for a full recap and score from St. Louis, Missouri.
