ELKINS, W.V. – With just 21 seconds before halftime, Carly Gregory slotted the game’s only goal as fourth-seeded Cedarville won the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer Championship against No. 3 Ursuline on Saturday, 1-0.
 
Gregory scored her sixth goal of the season off a set corner piece served up by Kaleigh Rowlands before putting the ball in the net.
 
The game ticked down to the final seconds as Ursuline’s fierce bid to tie and force overtime fell just short as time expired.
 
The Yellow Jackets completed a difficult journey through the bracket as the No. 4 seed, edging No. 5 Trevecca Nazarene in the quartefinals before going in as underdogs and surprising No. 1 Davis & Elkins in the semis and Ursuline in the final.
 
Ursuline’s path to the final included a quarterfinal win vs. No. 6 Alderson Broaddus and shootout advancement in an upset against No. 2 Kentucky Wesleyan on Thursday.
 
Saturday’s game was an evenly matched battle of possession while each team was trying to exploit any weakness as shots on target came at a premium.
 
Cedarville and Ursuline tied in both regular-season meetings this fall and all early indications pointed towards another defensive struggle lasting well past regulation.
 
Yellow Jackets keeper Hanna Harris made four saves to slow down another potent offense and finish off another shutout in the postseason. Ursuline had 13 shots to Cedarville’s 12.
 
The Yellow Jackets officially secured the G-MAC’s first official automatic qualifier into the NCAA Division II Championship Midwest Regional.
 
This is Cedarville’s first women’s soccer conference tournament trophy, following up title runs by Trevecca Nazarene (2012), Davis & Elkins (2013) and Ursuline (2014).
 
The selection show for the women’s soccer tournament is Monday evening at 6:30 p.m. EST and will be streamed online for viewing. This would mark the conference's first NCAA tournament selection in the sport of women's soccer, counting the automatic qualifier or at-large consideration.