Six seniors on the Spring Arbor University women's soccer team finished off their careers in the best way possible on Saturday.
Kristin Abbott, Jenna Bigger, Jessica Clarke, Christina Riske, Leanna Schofield and Rachel Sinkovitz helped the Cougars capture their first ever national title, as SAU dropped NCAA division II Palm Beach Atlantic in a double overtime affair that eventually led to a penalty shootout.
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Spring Arbor looked a little lethargic in the opening portion of the match, as both teams were playing their third game in just four days.
Senior scoring sensation Kristin Abbott helped SAU shake off the rust in the 24th minute however. Fellow senior Jessica Clarke shook a pair of defenders on the right side of the field and found Abbott flying into the PBAU penalty area with a low service that Abbott hammered past Sailfish goalkeeper Allison Fox to give SAU a 1-0 edge. The goal was Abbott's team leading 17th of the season.
The two teams battled through the rest of the half and early into the second frame evenly before Palm Beach found the equalizer that they were looking for. When SAU failed to get a good clearance on a Sailfish crossing ball, PBAU sniper Angie Kuhn found herself alone with the ball at her feet just 12 yards from the SAU net. Kuhn left no doubt, blasting her 27th goal of the season past Spring Arbor freshman net minder Lauren Weber Wright to even the contest.
The Cougars were not able to get back into the flow of the game until there were about 10 minutes left in the first half and the team changed attacking shape and altered it's tactics in an effort to find the game winner.
In spite of controlling the closing minutes of play and enjoying the run of play in two sudden victory periods, the Cougars could not solve Fox again. The PBAU goalkeeper shined down the stretch, denying first Abbott and then sophomore Maegan Smith on what looked surely to be game ending golden goal scoring opportunities.
With nothing decided over 110 minutes, the game went into a penalty kick shoot out.
Enter Christina Riske and rewind three weeks. Just 21 short days ago Riske saved a pair of Indiana Wesleyan University penalty kicks to earn Spring Arbor a penalty shootout victory over the Wildcats and advance the Cougars to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round as the Mid-Central Conference champions.
With the memory of the conference triumph fresh in her memory, Riske quickly shed her field uniform, scurried into her goalkeeping equipment and took the net for SAU.
PBAU won the coin toss and elected to kick first in the best of five series. Kuhn, who had 10 of Palm Beach's 16 shots on the day, strode to the penalty spot first, set the ball and blasted a ball to Riske's right. Although the effort seemed headed for the twine of the left side netting, Riske had Kuhn's number and arrived there first, launching a sprawling dive and parrying the ball wide of the upright to give SAU the early advantage.
As SAU's ace, Abbott was up next. The 5'3 Troy, Michigan native netted her attempt to Fox's right to put the Cougars up 1-0. Palm Beach's next kicker tried to swivel her hips to misdirect Riske. Not fooled, Riske stayed home and saved the attempt with a reaction foot save.
Jalese DeBiasi was Spring Arbor's next kicker and rocked her ball past Fox and into the side netting to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead. Palm Beach was successful in their third attempt from the spot, and Maegan Smith matched the effort with a spot shot that Fox got a hand to, but was too hot to handle and found the back of the net anyhow.
Needing a goal to stay alive, the Sailfish converted their fourth kick to make the score 3-2 with Spring Arbor freshman Ashley DeNio up next.
Rewind three weeks. After Riske's heroics in Marion, Indiana at the conference championship it was DeNio who hammered home the final penalty that earned the Cougars the conference title. Not aware at the time that her goal clinched the conference crown, DeNio was surprised when she was mobbed by her teammates following it.
All too aware this time, the freshman from Woodland Park, Colorado proved to have ice water in her veins when she coolly replicated the effort to Fox's left. DeNio turned and faced the Cougar bench with a huge grin on her face, just before she was mobbed for the second time this season.
After the match pictures were taken and awards were given out, tears were shed and embraces shared.
"This has been one the most enjoyable years that I have ever experienced as a college soccer coach," commented SAU head coach Jason Crist. "Not because our team won a pair of championships, but because of the quality of the young ladies I was surrounded with every day. These girls have wonderful hearts for the Lord and would do anything for each other. It has been my honor that they allowed me to be a part of their journey this season."
Spring Arbor sophomore midfielder Braydan Wiles and junior defender Alyssa Curtis were named to the All Tournament team while Sinkovitz was selected as the tournament's Most Outstanding Defender and Abbott took home the weeks highest honor, when she was named as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
The Cougars finish the season at 18-5-2. Spring Arbor's six seniors compiled a record of 63-19-9 in their four years with the program.
"The six seniors are all amazing young women who have forever impacted the trajectory of our program," finished Crist. "Some of my fondest memories as a coach center around them. They will always have a special place in the history of our program."
