Box Score
PEPPER PIKE, Ohio – Top-seeded Ursuline flipped the script and erased any shadow of a doubt from its frustrations of recent tournament history by clinching the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer Championship title on Saturday against No. 2 Trevecca, 2-1.
UC senior forward Paige Rowan scored twice -- the equalizer and eventual game winner -- as the Arrows rallied and stifled a relentless second-half comeback bid by the Trojans.
With back-to-back runner-up placements in the conference tournament the past two years fueling additional motivation and incentive, the Arrows stayed on a path designed by head coach Jason Kubbins and his staff to eventual G-MAC glory.
In terms of the X’s and O’s, it was a tantalizing matchup that didn’t disappoint between Kubbins and his counterpart on the sideline he shared co-coach of the year honors with, Mark Foster.
But when it was all said and done, the Arrows delivered under the pressure of being the G-MAC preseason favorite to winning the regular-season title to finishing out the postseason out on top.
If there was ever a ‘triple crown’ in the sport of women’s soccer, this would be close to it.
There were tears of elation and joy mixed with muddy uniforms as both teams poured their heart and soul into the culmination of a long fall campaign.
The G-MAC Championship bracket ultimately played out to complement the seeding drawn up as Ursuline defended its home field by beating No. 4 Kentucky Wesleyan in the semifinals.
Trevecca advanced by beating No. 6 Alderson Broaddus in Thursday’s other semifinal and the Trojans, which feature 14 freshmen on the roster, made a valiant attempt in pulling off the underdog upset bid.
Early pressure in the first half paid off for the Trojans as Nicole Reese crashed the box and stunned the home crowd with a goal in the 14th minute.
Rowan countered in the 33rd minute as Cassie Cripe salvaged a ball making a beeline out of bounds for the end line and kept the play alive with a sliding stop before the senior forward capitalized on her 16th goal of the year.
Less than four minutes later, G-MAC Offensive Player of the Year Vanessa Consiglio weaved through the defense and threaded the needle for Rowan, who converted in the middle of the box for the 2-1 lead.
Down by a goal at the half, Trevecca unleashed a barrage of shots in the second half with its backs to the wall, threatening to tie on multiple occasions as the crowd held its breath.
An Isabella Oviedo shot ricocheted off the near post and far post on the same kick and the ensuing rebound attempts by Hannah Barney were blocked at point blank range in front of the net.
The Trojans would go on to outshoot Ursuline 16-2 in the final 45 minutes of play trying to even things up.
Ursuline concludes its season with a 15-4 overall record and Trevecca closes out a 12-5-2 fall campaign.