WICHITA, Kan. –The Southwestern College women's soccer team entered Wednesday afternoon's Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) Semifinal after squeaking past the University of Saint Mary Spiresthe previous Saturday. The Builders did much more than that in this match against the No. 2-seeded Coyotes, as they hit the back of the net two times en route to their 2-0 victory. With the triumph, it will be the second year in a row that the Moundbuilder women have reached the KCAC Tournament Championship.

"Very proud of the girls tonight," said head coach Joe Schwartz. "We came in with a game plan and the girls executed it well. Reaching two finals in two years is a fantastic achievement and something that's not easy. We'll enjoy it and live in the moment tonight then it's back to work tomorrow."

The game began with chances on both sides, as each team had two shots on goal in the first 15 minutes. Just a few minutes later, though, the Builders took control of the game. 

Their sixth attempt at goal concluded with a tally from Jaidan Perez on a set piece following a foul on the near-side wing, giving SC a 1-0 advantage. Kenzie Saul smashed a ball into the box that found the boot of Natalia Bak. Her shot was denied by the goalkeeper, but Perez converted the rebound. The strike was scored in the 44th minute.

The teams went into the half with a lead for the Moundbuilders on the scoreboard, and the second half also went all in Southwestern's favor. Inspired by the lead, they came out of the halftime with an abundance of energy. 

After the intermission, Southwestern quickly added to their lead. Lillian Grisso's free kick was saved by the Coyotes goalkeeper, but Natalia Bak was able to deposit the ball between the pipes. The 2-0 score would remain until the final whistle, as Kansas Wesleyan failed to put the ball past Mallorie Lund. 

In the second half, the numbers looked rather even for the squads, but in fact, the Builders had taken five more shots than Kansas Wesleyan at full time.

Rouse (4), Grisso (2), Llanos (1), Bak (2), Kuhn (4) and Perez (1) took each of the Builders' 14 shots in the match.

Mallorie Lund had a stellar performance in a game where she was tested five times with shots on goal. She added another clean sheet to her season total, her ninth of the season.

Southwestern (11-4-5, 7-1-4 KCAC) will be involved in the KCAC Tournament Championship on Saturday, November 12 at 1 p.m. at Stryker Sports Complex, once again. In last season's trip to the Final for the Builders, it was a 1-0 loss to Oklahoma Wesleyan that ended their season. This time around, the Moundbuilders will face the regular season champion Eagles once again with a chance to earn an automatic berth to the NAIA Opening Round. If the Builders should fall, the second bid for the KCAC will go to Kansas Wesleyan by virtue of their second-place regular-season finish. The Builders face a defining moment in the most important match of their 2022 campaign.

--buildersports.com--