WINFIELD, Kan. – On a rainy and cold Friday night at Richard L. Jantz Stadium in Winfield, the Southwestern College women's soccer squad went up against the University of Saint Mary Spires in the Quarterfinal round of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) Tournament. The tilt was between the No. 3-seeded Builders and the No. 6-seeded Spires, and though the score ended with a 2-0 win for SC, the game was rather lopsided. Southwestern did not allow Saint Mary to take a single shot in the entirety of the match, marking their second straight home bout in which they did not allow the opposition to take a single shot.

"It was a great team win and clean sheet to cap off our final home game of the season," said head coach Joe Schwartz. "I am very proud of the grit the girls showed playing in harsh conditions. It was impressive to see their resilience and positivity all night."

In the opening half, the rain was coming down in droves, as it took a while for either one of the sides to get going. After about 20 minutes of play, Southwestern was able to strike for their first tally of the match. A Lillian Grisso shot that was knocked down by the Spires' goalkeeper bounded off her midsection onto the boot of Hailey Rouse, who scored the opening goal unassisted to give SC a 1-0 advantage.

Very little would follow for either side, as Southwestern took a total of eight shots in the primary stanza. Five of those eight tries were on frame, as four saves were made by the USM keeper.

After the intermission, Southwestern quickly added to their lead, as Rouse was able to receive a perfect feed from Bryanna Kuhn right in front of the net, where she deposited the ball between the pipes. The 2-0 score would remain until the final whistle, as Saint Mary never threatened to take a shot in the battle. Their defensive style of play kept SC from scoring several goals, but it was never going to be enough to keep the Moundbuilders off the board completely.

There were 11 total shots by the Builders in the latter frame, as six of them were on goal. Once again, USM did their very best to keep the Moundbuilders off the board, but there was too much firepower to keep tabs on.

Rouse finished the match with seven total shots and a brace for the Builders. Five of those seven tries ended up on net, while the two Southwestern goals both came off of her foot. She was followed by Grisso and Kuhn, who each tallied four shots, with two apiece ending up on frame. Julian Cowley and Taylor Holcombe were the other two SC attackers with a shot on goal.

Mallorie Lund added another clean sheet to her season total, though her defense must be applauded for never allowing Saint Mary to get the ball in a position to shoot for the entirety of the match. Avery Norman, Teagan Smith and Paige Roberts were heavily responsible for Lund's clean sheet.

"We are going to enjoy tonight, then it is back to work tomorrow," continued Schwartz. "Each game gets more difficult from here on out, and we are excited for the matchup on Wednesday."

Now, for Southwestern (10-4-5, 7-1-4 KCAC), they will head up to Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita, Kan. on Wednesday, November 9 at 2:30 p.m. for a Semifinal matchup with the No. 2-seeded Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes. The battle will determine who will move on to the KCAC Tournament Championship on Saturday, November 12.

--buildersports.com--