INDIANAPOLIS – The six-team Horizon League Women’s Soccer Tournament begins on Saturday evening, as the opening round features No. 3 seed Cleveland State hosting No. 6 Detroit at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Sunday afternoon’s match will see No. 4 Wright State welcome No. 5 Loyola to Alumni Field in Dayton, Ohio, at 1 p.m. ET.
In the six-team tournament format, No. 1 seed Butler (8-10-0, 6-2-0) and No. 2 Milwaukee (10-6-2, 6-2-0) have byes to the semifinals; Butler, winners of the tiebreaker with Milwaukee based on a 1-0 victory on Oct. 10, will host the semifinals and championship Nov. 5-7.
Cleveland State (9-7-2, 5-3-0 Horizon) hosts a Detroit (7-6-5, 3-3-2 Horizon) squad that knocked off the Vikings, 1-0, on Oct. 10. However, that match was in Detroit, and Cleveland State is hoping for a large crowd as part of a doubleheader with their men’s soccer team. The two teams offer contrasting styles; while the Vikings took just 61 shots in eight conference games, the Titans fired early and often, drilling 114 attempts in League play.
Led offensively by Natalie Daniels, who paced Cleveland State with 22 points behind nine goals and four assists, the Vikings have already set a school record for wins entering the tournament. Daniels and goalkeeper Kelly Zinkiewich have set records throughout the campaign, with Daniels claiming the school record for goals (9) and points (22), while Zinkiewich set single-season records for shutouts (7), goals against average (1.12) and save percentage (.811).
Detroit (7-6-5, 3-3-2 Horizon) is energized by a host of young talent, as freshman Nora Abolins has been strong in net, posting seven shutouts to tie for the league lead with Zinkiewich. Sophomore Nina Carter paces the Titans with 12 points, while fellow sophomore Alexandra Suschak matched Carter with five goals on the year.
Wright State (10-8-0, 5-3-0 Horizon) vaulted from sixth to fourth on the final weekend of the season, winning the right to host a first round match. Winners of seven of their last eight matches, the Raiders scored 28 goals in 18 games, the third-best rate in the Horizon League this year. Brittany Persaud finished the regular season among the League leaders in both goals (6) and points (21), while her nine assists pace the conference.
Loyola (7-11-1, 4-3-1 Horizon) found its stride in League play, balancing the defense and grabbing the No. 5 seed. Freshman Tricia Stonebraker came on in League play, depositing three goals and adding an assist in finishing the conference season with seven points, good for fourth in the Horizon League. Goalkeeper Katie Groesch posted three shutouts in eight League matches.
The Ramblers captured the regular season meeting between the two teams, taking a 2-1 win on Sept. 24 in Chicago.
The winners will advance to the tournament semifinals, contested at the Butler Bowl on the campus of Butler University. Butler will host the lowest remaining seed and Milwaukee the highest, with semifinal matches being played at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 5. The Horizon League championship match will be played on Sunday, Nov. 7, at 1 p.m. ET.
All five Horizon League Women’s Soccer Tournament matches can be seen live on HorizonLeague.com.
