Women’s Soccer Tournament Results (Nov. 5)
(3) Oakland 6, (6) Youngstown State 2
(1) Detroit 1, (5) Valparaiso 0 (2ot)
The 2013 Horizon League Women’s Soccer Championship started on Tuesday with two quarterfinal matches played in drastically different fashions.
The day started with Detroit and Valparaiso battling scoreless for 107 minutes before the Titans Heather Brown scored the golden goal to send Detroit to the semifinals of the tournament for the fourth consecutive season.
Oakland and Youngstown State ended the night and it took just eight minutes of action to produce the first goal of the contest. But it was not the last as the two teams combined to score seven goals in the first half. Oakland’s Kyla Kellermann scored twice and assisted on two other goals in the first half as the Golden Grizzlies led 5-2 at the half. The second half saw less scoring as Oakland rode its big first half to a 6-2 win over the Penguins.
The Championships resume on Friday with the semifinal action at Milwaukee’s Englemann Stadium. The first semifinal pitting Oakland versus second-seed Wright State begins at 5 p.m. ET, while the nightcap at 8 p.m. ET features the top-seeded Milwaukee Panthers facing off against Detroit.
(3) Oakland 6, (6) Youngstown State 2
Bolstered by a two-goal, two-assist effort by junior Kyla Kellermann, the Oakland women's soccer team defeated Youngstown State Tuesday evening, 6-2, in the first round of the 2013 Horizon League Championship. With the win, Oakland improves to 10-8-1 on the season and advances to the semifinal round and will take on No. 2 seed Wright State Friday, Nov. 8 at 4 p.m. in a neutral site game hosted by Milwaukee. Youngstown State ends its season with a 4-13-1 record.
The game got off to a blistering pace, as Oakland bounded out to a 3-0 lead in the game's 11th minute after a trio of goals in just 97 seconds of play. The early and sizeable lead was short lived, however, as Youngstown State responded with two goals in the 12th and 21st minutes to cut Oakland's lead to 3-2.
Seemingly unbaffled, Oakland then drilled home two more goals in the 26th and 28th minutes to take a 5-2 advantage into the halftime break. From there, the Golden Grizzlies added an insurance strike in the 53rd minute to close out the high-scoring affair.
"It was an excellent effort," Oakland interim head coach Dave Morgan said. "The players just kept going. We talked about getting off to a quick start. It took a little bit to get the first one, but they certainly didn't take their foot off the gas."
Kellermann started Oakland's first blitz in the ninth minute when she combined with Abigail Haelewyn and Brianne Horne, blasting a 20-yard shot from the top of the box to get the Golden Grizzlies on the board. Just 61 seconds later, Oakland made it 2-0 when Kourtney Grant scored her first goal of the season when she headed home a corner kick by Rachel DeLuca. Shortly thereafter, with 10:13 on the clock, it was 3-0 when Meghan Reynolds got help from Serena San Cartier and Kellermann to score her seventh goal of the season.
Youngstown State quickly grabbed a goal back in the 12th minute and made it a one-goal game in the 21st minute with goals by Chelsey Haney and Karlee Klein. But that margin was short-lived when Brianne Horne notched her first goal of the year on assists from Alice Palmer and Kellermann with a shot from 12 yards out.
Kellermann then notched her second goal of the game in the 28th minute when Deluca sent in a corner kick from the left side and the ball found the junior forward's feet from close range. For the half, Oakland out-shot Youngstown State 16-8, with 10 shots on goal.
San Cartier capped off the game's scoring in the 53rd minute when she got on the end of a long forward ball from defender Aly Rawson to beat Youngstown State goalkeeper Katie Montgomery from 15 yards. For the game, Oakland posted a 25-14 shots advantage, including a 13-7 shots on goal tally. Oakland goalkeeper Payj O'Shea made four of the team's five saves to earn the win.
(4) Detroit 1, (5) Valparaiso 0 (2ot)
Sophomore Heather Brown scored the biggest goal of her young career as her tally in the 107th minute of double overtime lifted the University of Detroit Mercy women's soccer team to the Horizon League Semifinals with a 1-0 win over the Valparaiso Crusaders on Tuesday afternoon.
Brown put the Titans in the Horizon League Semifinals for the fourth-straight year and off to Milwaukee, who will host this year's championship for the third straight year.
The win was also the 12th-straight at home for Detroit and gives UDM a perfect 8-0 record at Titan Field setting a new team single-season best with eight wins. In those eight wins, and dating back to the last 12 games, Detroit has not allowed a goal.
The game at Titan Field was intense from the start with Brown having a great tip-in opportunity in the 14th minute of play that was saved by Valparaiso senior goalkeeper Kristen Manski. Brown had another open look in the 19th minute as she took a pass from freshman Kristen Tobin and smashed a shot that Manski again got her hands on. Junior Alyssa Lotito came even closer by beating Manski, but not the right post in the final minute of play before the end of the first half.
Valparaiso finished with a 6-5 first half edge in shots and a great opportunity in the 24th minute. Morgan Manzke, the Horizon League Freshman of the Year, was inside the 18-yard box after a Titan defensive miscue and fired a hard shot on goal, but UDM goalkeeper Martha Dunbar was up to the task and the game remained scoreless.
Through the second half and onto the first overtime period there was no score until Brown's winner ended the Valparaiso season in a crushing manner with 3:40 left until penalty kicks would have decided the fate of the game.
Manski finished with four saves, while Dunbar made two and recorded her third straight shutout and second in three games against Valparaiso.
UDM finished with 13-9 overall advantage in shots, including 2-0 in the second overtime.
