Kehtel and Saints Win Third Straight UMAC Tournament Title
DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – Kelsey Kehtel scored a goal in each half to give the St. Scholastica women's soccer team a 2-0 victory over the University of Minnesota Morris in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Tournament championship on Saturday at Saints Field.
The Saints win their third straight UMAC Tournament title and 10th overall. In doing so, St. Scholastica earned the conference's automatic qualifier into next week's NCAA Division III Tournament. It will be the sixth NCAA appearance in program history.
Kehtel, who was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player, scored her first goal in the 17th minute as she was one-on-one with the keeper after a great pass by Shannon Carlson. Kehtel beat the Morris goalkeeper far post to make it 1-0. Maggie Dolan also assisted the goal.
The Cougars also had chances in the first half as Justine Wolf hit the cross bar on a shot and had another just wide of the net. CSS, who also hit the crossbar a couple of times in the half, had a 7-4 shots advantage in the half.
The Saints came out much more aggressive in the second half and Kehtel gave the Saints some insurance in the 52nd minute, putting in a cross from Carlson to make it 2-0. For Kehtel, it was her 30th goal of the season.
CSS controlled possession for much of the second half and went on to win 2-0. The Saints have now won 18 games in a row, which is the second-longest win streak in program history (19-2004).
Kelsey Reeves made just one save to earn the shutout for the Saints. Morgan Delaney had four saves in the loss for the Cougars. CSS had a 16-4 advantage in shots. Morris' season ends with a 13-6-0 record.
The Saints (18-2-1) will now await their fate for next week's NCA Division III Tournament. Who and where St. Scholastica will be playing will be announced at 12:30 p.m. on Monday on NCAA.com.
