Women’s Soccer Semifinals:
(5) Wright State vs. (2) Detroit, 5 p.m. ET – HLN
(6) Loyola at (1) Milwaukee, 8 p.m. ET – HLN
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Rematches of two tense regular season games are on tap in the Horizon League Women’s Soccer Tournament semifinals, with No. 2 Detroit meeting fifth-seeded Wright State for the second straight year, while top-seeded Milwaukee takes on the No. 6 seed for the third consecutive season.
In the semifinal opener, Detroit (9-6-1) will look for revenge on a Wright State (8-4-6) squad that ended the Titans’ season at Engelmann Stadium last year. The Raiders are looking to follow the same path to the Horizon League Championship that they used in 2011 – win on the road, then knock off the No. 2 seed.
Wright State is coming off a 1-0 overtime win at Youngstown State, with Emilie Fillion netting the game winner three minutes into the first extra session.
Friday’s match will pit two of the League’s top offenses against one another, as the Raiders lead the Horizon League in goals (27), with the Titans in a tie for second (23). Newcomer of the Year Ini Umotong continues to lead the League with 16 points, with Fillion tied for second (15).
For the Titans, League Offensive Player of the Year Kaitlyn Quarrell and Abby McCollum are both tied for eighth in the conference with 11 points.
The match will also feature both All-League goalkeepers. Detroit’s Nora Abolins took First Team All-League accolades, along with Goalkeeper of the Year honors after turning in a 0.52 goals-against average in the regular season. Abolins’ eight shutouts rank second in the League and gave her a school record 24 in just three seasons.
Across the field will be the League’s Second Team keeper, Brooke McCurdy. McCurdy posted her seventh shutout of the year on Tuesday, upping her League-leading saves total to 91 in 18 matches. McCurdy’s 0.67 GAA is third in the conference, while her 87.5 percent save percentage is second only to Abolins’ 87.9 percent mark.
On Oct. 10, Detroit knocked off Wright State, 1-0, in Dayton. Nina Carter recorded the game-winner in the 71st minute, with McCollum and First Team All-League pick Alyssa Riley assisting. Abolins made six saves in the shutout, while McCurdy turned away seven shots.
The nightcap features a rematch of one of the most exciting League games of the year, in which Loyola and Milwaukee played late into the night in a double overtime thriller. The eventual League Player of the Year Helen Steinhauser scored the game-winning goal with just 23 seconds left in double overtime, lifting the Panthers to a key 2-1 victory.
Sixth-seeded Loyola (8-8-3) will be out for revenge, looking to frustrate a potent Milwaukee (6-8-1) attack with its stingy defense. The Ramblers have scored just 13 goals on the year, compared to 23 for the Panthers. However, Loyola’s 22 goals allowed on the year bests the 23 given up by Milwaukee.
Milwaukee will look to Krissy Dorre, Kelly Lewers and Kelsey Holbert to continue to lift the Panthers on offense; all three rank among the top 10 scorers in the Horizon League, with Dorre netting five goals and 13 points in just five matches this season.
Moriah Schwarz scored Loyola’s equalizing goal at Milwaukee and is the leading scorer for an extremely balanced Ramblers attack. While Schwarz leads the team with eight points, four different players have at least two goals on the year.
Milwaukee is the four-time defending tournament champion, claiming its 13th consecutive share of the Horizon League regular-season championship. The last team not named Milwaukee to capture the League tournament was Loyola, in 2007.
Both of tonight’s matches can be seen on the Horizon League Network.
