Senior Brooklyn Morgan slammed home the rebound of an Ashley DeNio shot in the 27th minute and a smothering defensive effort from the Lady Cougars made it stand up Saturday night. Spring Arbor won their fourth consecutive Crossroads League tournament title and earned the CL's automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament for the fourth year in a row with a gritty 1-0 victory over upset -minded Taylor University.
In a defensive struggle, Spring Arbor's back four stiffened up and dealt well with the very direct attack that the Trojans brought with them into the match. Backs Courtney Harrison, Megan Sullivan, Kailyn Wegenke and Rachel DeLancey closed down space very well throughout the match and limited the Trojans to just two shots in the contest.
Spring Arbor's offense produced 14 shots in the match, led by Karly Linton's seven and had several other good opportunities to score, but Taylor's back line and goalkeeper also played well throughout the match and forced the Lady Cougars to work hard for every opportunity that they produced.
Sophomore Sarah Yancer went the distance in net for SAU, and did not register a save, but did play a crucial role in the win. Late in the match Taylor launched a long ball into the Cougar box and a host of players went up to challenge for it. The ball glanced off Harrison's head as she tried to clear the effort and flicked towards the far post. Yancer laid out, caught and pinned the deflection that was headed for the side netting.
"I am so happy for our seniors who have been out to prove themselves all season long," commented SAU head coach Jason Crist. "They have stepped up their games and played big this year. I am happy to see their efforts paying dividends for the team."
The Cougars will be idle this week as the rest of the country finishes their conference tournaments to determine the national championship field. Spring Arbor is one of just eight teams that have qualified for the tournament so far. Seeding for the 32 team field will be announced on Monday, November 18th. At that point the Cougars will find out who their opening round opponent will be and whether they will host the match or have to travel for it.
