The College of Wooster not only went on the road and knocked off
No. 12 ranked Denison University 2-1 in the women's soccer
teams' regular season finale Saturday afternoon, but snuck
into next week's four-team North Coast Athletic Conference
Tournament after receiving some help from its friends at Earlham
College.
Going into Saturday's action, Wooster sat in fifth-place,
needing to win its game and for either Allegheny College or Ohio
Wesleyan University to lose, both of which were playing teams in
the lower half of the standings. Low and behold, though, after
finishing off the Big Red, the Fighting Scots learned that Earlham
surprised Ohio Wesleyan by a 2-1 count, catapulting them into the
NCAC tourney.
Wooster (13-5, 5-3 NCAC), now on a four-game win streak, set the
tone early Saturday. Just 2:24 into the action, Kate Kiley settled
a pass from Taryn Higgins and blasted it past the Denison
'keeper for her eighth goal of the year. It remained 1-0
through halftime.
Liz Mott extended the lead when she made some individual moves
through the Big Red defense and sent a shot into the right corner
during the 65th minute. It marked the ninth goal this season for
the Scots' other high-scoring forward.
Denison (14-3-1, 7-1-0 NCAC) did not cut the game to a one-goal
margin until the 86th minute, and Wooster hung on, giving its
six-member senior class a 2-1-1 advantage in games against the
perennial-power Big Red.
Providing a boost for the Scots was senior goalie Sara Flannelly.
Making just the fourth start of her career, and second this fall,
Flannelly held up well with three saves against the NCAC's
second-highest scoring team.
Ironically, Wooster will have to go right back to Denison on
Wednesday night, as the two squads are matched up in the NCAC
tourney's semifinal round.
Wooster Upends No. 12 Ranked Denison, Sneaks Into NCAC Tournament
Posted: Nov 01, 2008