INDIANAPOLIS - On Thursday in Pepper Pike, Ohio, the Women’s Soccer Championship semifinals will kick off on the campus of Ursuline College, who earned the top overall seed and right to host the postseason conference tournament.

In the first game, #2 seed Trevecca will take on the #6 seed Alderson Broaddus, who advanced out of the quarterfinals with an upset win on the road at #3 Davis & Elkins, 2-0. During the regular season, TNU held on late for a 2-1 win at home against AB. The Trojans went up 2-0 in the first half on two goals by Abbie Alosi. The Battlers Olivia Augustine cut into the lead with almost 40 minutes left in the game, but Trevecca’s lockdown defense allowed just three total shots, all of which came in the second half.

Alderson Broaddus will look to Augustine for its offensive attack, as she leads the team with 11 goals and 25 points. Her 11 goals are more than the next three top scorers on the Battlers roster. Defensively, Sarah Turner and Tayler Garcia have each played in ten games with Garcia playing about 50 total minutes more on the season, while Turner has almost 20 more saves.

Trevecca features a more balanced attach with Diana Corzine scoring a team-high eight goals and 16 points. Brooke Gann and Anna Hoffman each have five goals, with Gann adding in four assists, which is tied for the team lead. Overall, the Trojans have six players with eight or more points and 15 total players that have score a goal. Defensively, Denton has made 13 starts and played almost 1,400 minutes in net, making 73 saves and allowing just 18 goals in 15 games. She is 9-3-2 with three shutouts. She also receives a tremendous amount of support from the defenders in front of her, led by Abbie Alosi, Jordan Ponto, Sophie Callis, and Charlotte Sauter.

The winner will advance to face the winner of the second semifinal game between #1 Ursuline and #4 Kentucky Wesleyan, who advanced with a win over #5 Cedarville in the quarterfinals, 3-1. Tied at 1-1 in the second half, KWC posted a goal in the 60th minute by Lauren Norton and then an insurance goal in the 69th minute by Leslie Chinn to advance.

In the regular-season, Ursuline shutout the Panthers in both meetings, winning at home in the conference opener 2-0 and then on the final weekend of the conference schedule the Arrows clinched the top seed with a 1-0 win in Owensboro.

Over the two games, Cassie Cripe scored a goal in each of the two games, with Vanessa Consiglio adding the first goal in game one. Paige Rowan and Anna Feitl added assists on Cripe’s goals. UC goalkeeper Helen Jazzar recorded eight saves in each game as KWC actually held a slim shot advantage 29-28.

Kentucky Wesleyan will rely on the balanced attack of Katlyn Duke, who has a team-high six goals, and Paige Kramer, Lauren Norton, and Annie Elder, who each have five. Add in Penni Pluimer, who has four goals and three assists and the Panthers have five players with double-digit point totals on the season.

Ursuline is led by the scoring duo of Vanessa Consiglio and Paige Rowan. The two top the league in scoring with 40 and 33 points, while Rowan leads the way in goals with 15, compared to 12 for Consiglio. Also, in goal for the Arrows, Helen Jazzar leads the conference with a .881 save percentage and a 0.68 goals against average as she has given up 10 goals in 1 games and 1322 minutes.  

Can the Arrows accomplish the rare feat of winning three in row against an opponent in one season, or can the Panthers capture the most important of the three meetings.

With the weather calling for rain on Thursday afternoon, the games should be tight throughout with the games will come down to one or two plays when the opportunities present themselves.

The winners will advance to the G-MAC Women’s Soccer Finals on Saturday in Pepper Pike, Ohio at Ursuline College at Noon.