Titans Women's Soccer Final Four Bound With 2-1 OT Victory
CHICAGO, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan women's soccer team overcame a one goal defecit for 80 minutes to come back and defeat Centre 2-1 in overtime at Stagg Field on Sunday, Nov. 23. IWU won their single-season school record 18th game to improve to 18-6-1 while the Colonels end their season 16-6-3. The Titans have advanced to the Final Four for the first time in school history, having never advanced past the second round of the NCAA Tournament before this season.
In a game that featured sloppy field conditions with rain throughout, neither team saw many opportunities to score come about. The Colonels broke through for a 1-0 lead in the 5th minute (4:47) off a header by Anne Mitchell. Centre would hold onto the 1-0 lead for nearly 80 minutes before Jenna Baker would put the ball past four Centre defenders on a large scramble for the ball in the front of the goal at the 83:03 mark to tie the score at one each. Neither team would find the back of the net again in regulation to send the game to overtime.
IWU, playing in their second straight overtime game of the tournament, would keep possesion for most of the overtime period playing the ball on the Colonels half of the field. Centre would turn the ball over near the midline to IWU's Jenna Bakerwho would send a go ahead pass to Alison Seger to knock in the game-winning goal with 2:01 left in the overtime period.
The Titans outshot the Colonels 10-9 in the game and held an 8-5 shots on goal advantage. Sophomore goalkeeper Dana Jourdan picked up her single-season record 18th win of the season, making four saves and improving to 18-6-1 on the year.
IWU IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: Illinois Wesleyan will play in the first National Semifinal on Friday, December 5th against undefeated Lynchburg, who advanced to the Final Four with a win over Messiah on Penalty Kicks. The Final Four is being held at Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri, official training facility of MLS squad Sporting Kansas City. IWU is now 6-4-2 overall in the NCAA Tournament, having won all four of their games in the tournament this season.
