Four Teams Punch Ticket Into Women’s Soccer Semifinals

10.28.18

Official Great Midwest Women's Soccer Championship Page

INDIANAPOLIS
– Four different teams emerged as first-round victors on Saturday in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer Championship bracket to start the postseason.
 
Unlike the men’s bracket with only six teams making the playoff field, the women’s tournament has an allotment of eight qualifiers and all of those teams were in action on a soggy Saturday with rain falling most of the day.
 
The favored seeds did what they were supposed as No. 1, 2, 3 and 4, all won in the quarterfinals even though, as expected, the wins didn’t come easy for anyone advancing. None of the contests went into overtime.
 
No. 4 Findlay made its first playoff appearance since joining the league as a full member to beat 2017 championship finalist No. 5 Ohio Dominican, 1-0. Defending tourney winner and back-to-back regular season champion Ohio Valley won against No. 8 Ursuline.
 
No. 3 Walsh held off No. 6 Cedarville in a close one that went down to the wire, 2-1. No. 2 Trevecca toppled No. 7 Davis & Elkins in the final contest of the day, 2-0.
 
The four remaining teams in contention will travel to Marietta, Ohio, next week to compete in the semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 1. The first game at Marietta College features No. 1 OVU vs. No. 4 UF slated for a start at noon ET.
 
The later game will highlight No. 2 TNU facing No. 3 WU around 2:30 p.m. ET. All games will be streamed live on the Great Midwest Digital Network.
 
Findlay outlasted Ohio Dominican in a fierce defensive struggle as a first-half goal from Olivia Frank held up to be the eventual game winner.
 
The Oilers and Panthers battled for just a combined 13 shots in front of a crowd of nearly 450 at DeHaven Field.
 
Ohio Valley had an answer for a game-tying goal by Ursuline’s Sarah Mitchell early in the second half. After Mitchell knotted the match at 1-1, Mileidys Saenz delivered a quick-strike go-ahead goal just 18 seconds later on the clock.
 
Walsh’s Alisha Himes gave the Cavaliers all the offense they needed with both goals in the game against the Yellow Jackets. Himes broke a 1-1 tie in the 70th minute of the second half to help get WU into the semifinals.
 
The Trevecca defense clamped down for its 10th shutout of the season by eliminating D&E. The Trojans had 13 shots to D&E’s 12 as freshman Makena Schlosser put her team up at the 25:08 mark of regulation.
 
TNU capitalized late in the second half as Madison Corby added an insurance goal for good measure to wrap things up.