WAVERLY, Iowa – No. 25 Wartburg women's soccer (15-2-1, 7-1 A-R-C) advance to the American Rivers Conference Tournament Championship after defeating Simpson College 1-0 in the semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 3.
The first half was a defensive battle that saw no goals scored. Both teams had opportunities in attacking territory, but the defenses stood tall.
Wartburg outshot Simpson seven to three in total shots and held an advantage in shots on goal three to two in the first half.
The Knights came out firing in the second half putting multiple shots on goal. In the 50
th minute, the Orange & Black got on the board first when
Joy Smith beat the keeper off assists from both
Katie Berglund and
Gabby Corday. The goal is Smith's 12
th goal of the season and her fifth game-winning goal. The assist marks the first of the season for both Berglund and Corday.
Wartburg controlled the rest of the match through strong defensive play and a continuous offensive attack to hold on for a 1-0 victory. The Knights finished with more total shots, twelve to six, and shots on goal eight to four.
In goal for the Knights,
Marissa Lopez started and played all 90 minutes in the shutout performance. Lopez faced four shots on goal and recorded saves on all of them to finish the night with four. This is the 10
th shutout victory this season for the Orange & Black.
Next Time Out
The No. 2 seeded Knights advance to the A-R-C title game set for a time TBD on Saturday, Nov. 6. The opponent will be the winner of No. 1 seed Loras College and No. 4 seed Luther College. The highest seed remaining will host the championship match.
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