No. 5 Vikings score 2-1 overtime win in UMAC women's soccer quarterfinal
ST. PAUL, Minn.---After an exciting final week of regular season play of Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) women's soccer, the opening quarterfinal game of the women's postseason was sure to be a closely-contested thriller. And it didn't disappoint as it took extra minutes to crown a victor with No. 5 Bethany Lutheran College taking the game 2-1 over No. 4 University of Northwestern Monday evening.
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Box Score |
Tournament Site |
Heading into Monday's matchup, the No. 5 Vikings were looking to rebound after dropping their final two conference games. They also lost both regular season matches to the No. 4 Eagles and hoped the third time would be a charm in finiding a win.
The Eagles entered the quarterfinal contest looking for a win after dropping their final UMAC game of the year on the road Friday.
The game opened with even back and forth play for a majority of the first half with both teams with several scoring chances that needed big saves from both keepers. Rachel Walmsley broke the tie in the 42nd minute, though, when she scored on a misplayed ball off a corner giving Northwestern a 1-0 lead into the half.
It didn't take long for the tides to change as Bethany Lutheran tallied a score off an own goal just over four minutes into the second half. Despite a few more good chances to score in the second half, neither team could find an answer for the other forcing extra minutes.
The additional time didn't last long as the Vikings' top scorer from the year in Rachel Bitter needed just 1:32 to slide in a goal past the Eagles' Samantha Dewey to lift the Vikings to victory.
Averi Cash was dominant in goal for the Vikings making 12 saves, while Dewey helped keep the Eagles in the game stopping eight shots on the night.
Monday's quarterfinal sets the stage for two exciting semifinals Wednesday. The No. 5 Vikings will face No. 1 seed Northland College at 1 p.m. in Ashland, Wisconsin, while No. 2 College of St. Scholastica will host No. 3 University of Minnesota Morris at 1:30 p.m. in Duluth, Minnesota.
All tournament information including scores, recaps, team information and more can be found on the
UMAC Women’s Soccer Tournament page. Keep up with all of the tournament action on
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Playoff Schedule
Quarterfinal Round – Monday, Oct. 31
No. 5 Bethany Lutheran def. No. 4 Northwestern, 2-1 OT |
Box Score | UNW Recap |
BLC Recap |
Semifinal Round – Wednesday, Nov. 2
No. 5 Bethany Lutheran AT No. 1 Northland; Ashland, Wis., 1 p.m. |
Live Video |
No. 3 Minnesota Morris AT No. 2 St. Scholastica; Duluth, Minn. 1:30 p.m. |
Live Broadcast |
Championship – Saturday, Nov. 5
Lowest remaining seed at highest remaining seed; Location and time, TBD