Sanborn and the Walsh offense was simply clinical helping execute a dangerous offensive attack in the semifinals and the championship final of the Great Midwest tournament.
Sanborn, the 2018 Great Midwest Offensive Player of the Year, was a big part of the senior class making contributions to winning three straight playoff games in head coach Lauren Lewicki’s first championship run.
In the semifinals against No. 3 Cedarville, Sanborn was contributing from the start. A goal from teammate Olivia Peters and later by CU’s Olivia Hoffman saw the game head to overtime in Dayton.
It was not until the 94th minute off of a Peters corner that saw the Cavaliers move onto the finals. Sanborn jumped above multiple Yellow Jacket defenders to head home the cross and send the crowd and the Cavaliers bench into a frenzy.
During the finals against No. 4 seed Ohio Dominican, Sanborn was even better. Only 16 minutes into the first half Sanborn and Peters hooked up with a beautiful give-and-go sequence and Sanborn slotted her shot far corner to give the Cavaliers an early 1-0 lead.
Sanborn then returned the favor to Peters and she found the opposite corner of the goal. Sanborn had two goals and one assist and contributed to three of the five goals from the Cavaliers while they were in Dayton.
The Cavaliers earned the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament and will take on No. 7 UIndy at Findlay.