Wright State continued its surge through the Horizon League Tournament, while Milwaukee found a way through Butler's defense, setting up a showdown between the Raiders and Panthers for the League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Semifinal #1 - Wright State 3, Detroit 2
For the first time since 2000, Wright State advanced to the Horizon League finals, defeating Detroit 3-2 in the semifinals.
Wright State (10-7-3) never trailed in the match, countering a relentless Detroit (12-6-2) attack to break open the scoring in the seventh minute. Senior midfielder Jen Agueci opened the scoring at the 6:58 mark of the first half as took a pass from Sarah Gross out wide and then cut inside for the goal, her fourth of the season.
The Titans would come right back, knotting the match after Abby McCollum was fouled in the box, setting up a penalty kick. Rebekah Dornbos would convert the penalty, her fifth of the year, and the team went into the half tied at 1.
The Raiders found their offensive groove in the second half, with Brittany Persaud providing the spark. Persaud played a long ball into the box, and Tiffany Wehmeyer put the rebound of a Persaud shot past Nora Abolins, giving WSU a 2-1 advantage with 29:51 left in the match.
Wright State would assume a 3-1 lead just minutes later, as another Persaud shot was saved, but Katie Broerman put home the rebound to give the Raiders a critical insurance goal.
The assist to Persaud was her 11th of the season, setting a new Raiders record, besting the previous record of 10 set by Persaud a season ago and originally set by Sharon Roscoe in 2001. Persaud, who was named First Team All-Horizon League earlier this week, now has 24 assists in her three-year Raider career, also a school record.
The Titans were not finished however, cutting the deficit in half on a Sarah Dzuris goal with 14:17 left in the match. However, the Titans would not have a quality scoring opportunity in the final minutes.
For the match, Wright State outshot the Titans 15-12 despite a 9-1 Detroit differential in corner kicks.
Wright State will play for its first Horizon League Tournament Championship since 2000, the last of a three-year run of titles for the Raiders. WSU is the first No. 5 seed to reach the finals since they did it in 1998 and lowest seed to reach the championship since No. 7 Loyola won the tournament in 2003.
Semifinal #2: No. 15 Milwaukee 1, Butler 0
In a physical match, Milwaukee overcame a rugged Butler defense to post a 1-0 win and advance to the Horizon League Championship for the fourth straight year.
The two teams combined for 21 fouls and four yellow cards, but it was Helen Steinhauser’s first half tally that meant the most on the scoreboard.
With Butler playing in a defensive shell for most of the first 45 minutes, Milwaukee’s (17-2-0) Kelsey Holbert dribbled down the right side to the end line, where she centered a ball to the keeper’s box. Steinhauser went high with the shot, beating Julie Burton and catching the underside of the crossbar to put the Panthers ahead, 1-0, at the 34:22 mark of the first.
Butler (8-10-2) pressed forward in the second half, collecting five shots, but Jamie Forbes recorded a lone save on the Bulldogs’ only shot on goal.
For the match, Milwaukee outshot Butler, 17-6, and enjoyed a 7-1 edge in corner kicks.
Milwaukee will be playing Wright State for its fourth straight conference tournament crown; the two teams last met in the women’s soccer championship in 2000, with the Raiders collecting a 1-0 victory. The championship will be played at Engelmann Stadium at 2 p.m. ET, live on the Horizon League Network.
Tags: Horizon League - Women's Soccer · Milwaukee - Women's Soccer · Wright State - Women's Soccer
