In order to be competitively great, a team needs to be at its best when its best is required.
The NAIA #22 ranked Spring Arbor University women's soccer team showed they are one of the premier soccer teams in the country on Saturday as they captured the MCC Conference Tournament title and laid claim to the MCC's automatic berth into the NAIA National Championships with a double overtime shootout triumph over NAIA #5 ranked Indiana Wesleyan University.
The conference championship game was played in difficult conditions, featuring winds gusting up to 30 mph and a cold on and off rain throughout the afternoon.
Playing with the wind at their backs in the first half, the Cougars shot out of the gates, creating several good chances and outshooting the hosts 8-2. Unfortunately for the SAU faithful that made the trip to support the team, the Cougars were unable to capitalize on a couple of point blank opportunities and had to settle for a 0-0 draw heading into the intermission.
IWU used the wind to their aid in the second half, and flipped the tables on SAU, cranking off nine shots in the second period, to just one for Spring Arbor.
The Cougars did a nice job of keeping the Wildcats to the outside and forcing them to take shots from distance, but IWU senior Brittany Smith connected on an effort from about 23 yards in the 55th minute to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Forced to chase the game into the wind, Spring Arbor continued to battle, but did not find the equalizer until the 88th minute, just two minutes from the end of regulation. Cougar sophomore Maegan Smith got on the end of a diagonal service behind the Indiana Wesleyan defense, made her first touch wide of IWU goalkeeper Beth Ann Nowak and slotted home a low effort with the outside of her foot to tie that game at one a piece.
Spring Arbor played the first overtime into the wind and registered the only shot of the period before outshooting IWU 2-1 in the final ten minute overtime period.
With the outcome still undecided, the game went into penalty kicks.
Spring Arbor converted on their first two kicks (Kristin Abbott, Maegan Smith) before Nowak guessed correctly on sophomore Braydan Wiles' attempt and saved the third SAU spot shot. Spring Arbor senior goalkeeper Christina Riske immediately responded, shutting down MCC Player of the Year Megan Marshall's attempt with a diving save to her right. Junior Jalese DeBiasi and senior Jessica Clarke converted their attempts, as did the final two IWU kickers, sending the shootout into sudden victory at 4-4.
Riske stayed home as the first IWU kicker tried to shoot right up the middle, making the easy save and leaving the outcome of the match in the hands of SAU freshman Ashley DeNio who was the Cougar's sixth shooter. DeNio calmly buried the ball to the right of Nowak and clinched the title for Spring Arbor.
The two teams recorded nearly identical stats in the match, with each registering 12 shots. Spring Arbor held a slight bulge in corner kicks, launching seven to Indiana Wesleyan's five.
"Our players were prepared to go the distance, and played hard for the entire contest," commented SAU head coach Jason Crist. "This was a hard-fought match, and I am extremely proud of how we competed and the toughness we showed. The girls have worked diligently to get to where they are at, and I am excited to see where the next couple weeks could take us."
The Cougars drew the #10 seed Robert Morris University (IL) in the opening round of the NAIA National Championships and will travel to Chicago, IL to face off with RMU this Saturday. Game time will be announced as soon as possible. The winner will face the winner of Lindsey Wilson College (KY) and Cornerstone University (MI) on Tuesday, November 23rd in the round of sixteen at the NAIA National Championship final site in Decatur, AL.
