FULTON, Mo.—The William Woods University women's soccer team was able to advance to the American Midwest Conference (AMC) Semifinals on Friday night, as the team collected its third straight shutout against Benedictine University at Springfield, winning 3-0.
The Owls (11-6-2; 8-1-2 AMC), outshot the Bulldogs (10-7-2; 6-4-1 AMC), 17-13 in the game, while WWU goaltender
Brittany Griffin made four saves in the outing, giving her now four shutouts on the season.
"Our center backs tonight really limited a dangerous forwards (Lyndi Saccaro) opportunities tonight, as I can't recall when she was had time for one free-touch around the top or inside the box," said head coach
Randy Hall. "So kudos to the back line and in addition the outside backs were able to really get involved, move forward, but overall what a performance tonight across the board from the entire team."
William Woods was able to strike first in the half, as a shot from
Sarah Krispin just inside the 18 yard box was saved by Bulldog goaltender Lindsay Taylor, however, the ball got away from her and senior
Rachel Meyer kicked the loose ball into the back of the net, giving the Owls a 1-0 lead at the 21:33 mark.
The offense continued its pressure the next 11:00 minutes and it paid off yet again, as
Brittainy German's leading pass inside the box, found junior
Jordan McNamara, who was able to use her speed, get behind the Bulldog defense and beat the out-stretched arms of Taylor, to extend the Owls lead to 2-0.
WWU would tally on three more shots before the horn sounded and at the break, the Owls were up by two, after outshooting BenU-Springfield 15-7.
In the second half, a foul was called on a Bulldog player, which awarded WWU with a free-kick beyond midfield. Senior
Ashley Deckard laced the ball up near the 18 yard box, past the Bulldog defense and Meyer again came up with the ball.
She was able to dribble inside the box and beat Taylor on the near side post for the second time in the game, giving her 12 goals on the year and the Owls a 3-0 lead with just over 63:00 minutes remaining.
That was more than enough breathing room for Griffin and the WWU defense, as they stood tall all night and the Owls would hold on for the three goal victory.
McNamara led the team with five shots on the evening, while Meyer added four and Krispin contributed three shots.
The Owls will now return to the pitch on Monday November 10
th, as they will travel down the road and face No. 1-seeded Columbia College, who also advanced tonight, after defeating Lindenwood University-Belleville, 6-0. Game-time for Monday is TBA.
Fans make sure to stay updated on wwuowls.com on Sunday afternoon for a full preview of Monday's action.
