ST. LOUIS, Mo.—For the first time since the 2001 season, the William Woods University women's soccer team has won the American Midwest Conference (AMC) Tournament Championship on Thursday afternoon, as the Owls defeated Missouri Baptist University 4-3 in penalty kicks and in the process, earned an automatic bid to the NAIA Opening Round.
The Owls (12-6-3; 8-1-2 AMC), were outshot 22-7 against the Spartans (11-5-5; 9-1-1 AMC), but goaltender
Brittany Griffin came up with a career-high 16 saves in the game, which kept the team in it all afternoon.
"Brittany (Griffin), made a lot of saves today, and two of them were of exceptional quality, even before the penalty kick save," said head coach
Randy Hall. "I am just very pleased for all of the members of my program, as the girls on the field today did a great job bringing home the right to hang a banner, but all of our recent graduates have committed themselves while here to help us earn this honor."
In the first half, the Owls were outshot 10-0, but Griffin collected eight saves in the first 45:00 minutes of play, which allowed WWU and MBU to head into the break, tied 0-0.
Despite not recording a shot in the first frame, coach Hall wasn't worried about his offense and didn't see a reason for adjustments.
"There were no adjustments tactically, just an emphasis on immediate transitions and a better quality of individual responsibility with the ball," said Hall. "We are a very selective and patient team in our attack, as often our attack ends with an opportunity that doesn't always produce a shot, due to the fact that we are looking for specific chances, rather than just any space within forty yards."
In the second half, the Owls recorded its first shot of the game at the 49:47 mark, as
Jordan McNamara's attempt from 25 yards out, was saved by Spartan goalie Kathryn Kessler.
McNamara had another chance to give the Owls a lead, as she was able to weave her way past the Spartan defense, but her shot inside the box was right at Kessler, who gathered up another save.
As the clock continued to tick away, both teams' defenses and goaltenders stood tall, but the Spartans had one final chance to net the game winner, as Donna Jolliff intercepted Griffin's goal kick.
Joliff was able to dribble past the Owls defense and feed a pass into the middle of the box for Argell London, and her shot was deflected by a WWU defender, but Griffin was able dive to the near post and come up with the big save at the 89:27 mark, keeping the game tied after 90:00 minutes of play.
In the first overtime, the Owls were outshot 4-0, but Griffin collected two saves in 10:00 minutes of play and a second overtime was needed to decide a winner.
In the second OT, Griffin was tested right away by Jolliff again, but the forward's left foot shot attempt was saved by Griffin, who was in the right place at the right time.
Ashley Deckard recorded a shot for the Owls at the 108:35 mark, but her shot went wide and at the end of 110:00 minutes of play, the game was tied 0-0 and it was off to penalty kicks.
Joliff, who had 15 goals on the year coming into the game for MBU, was up first and she tried to beat Griffin on her right side, but the sophomore goaltender came up with a diving save.
McNamara was up next, also the Owls leading scorer, and she tried to beat Kessler on the right side as well, but the MBU net minder came up with the save, which kept it scoreless at 0-0 through one round.
Kathryn Foytlin was up for MBU and she beat Griffin to her left, giving MBU a 1-0 advantage. Deckard, however, responded for WWU, as her kick was placed perfectly in the bottom left corner of the goal, tying it up at 1-1.
MBU's Lauren Guerrero again beat Griffin on the high left side, but
Amy Faus responded, as the senior, like Deckard, beat Kessler on her right, tying it back up at 2-2.
Taylor Giese missed her shot attempt in the fourth round off the post, so WWU's
Jamie Palermo had a chance to take the lead, but her shot clanked off the post, keeping the game tied at 2-2.
Senior Chanel Thorpe was the third MBU player to beat Griffin on the left side, giving the Spartans a 3-2 advantage, however, its lead was short-lived, as
Brittainy German scored to Kessler's right, matching the game at 3-3.
Missouri Baptist goalie Kessler was up next and she shot the ball high over the cross bar, so
Danielle Wilson stepped up to the penalty dot with the chance to win the game and she came through, burying her shot to Kessler's left into the back of the net, giving WWU a 4-3 win and the AMC Championship.
"I am extremely happy with the quality of our combined defensive efforts today," said Hall. "The defensive rotations have been on point and denied easy opportunities in spite of less than our best possessions."
McNamara led the team offensively, totaling three shots, while German, Deckard,
Rochelle Garcia and
Jaclyn Zilch added one. MBU, meanwhile, was led by Jolliff, totaling six shots, with four landing on net. In net, Kessler came up with four saves for the Spartans.
With the win, the Owls will now advance to the NAIA Opening Round and will face an opponent that is TBA.
"Now the hard part is ahead of us, as we will be facing a top seed in the first round of the tournament." said Hall. "We will need to carry the responsibility to show how strong a team from our conference must be to make it to the tournament. We can help our institutional, conference, and region image by going and winning a few games."
Fans make sure to stay updated on wwuowls.com for full updates on the women's soccer team and who, when and where the Owls will face in the NAIA Opening Round.
