Saturday's outlook: The No. 3 seed College of Wooster women's soccer team will host No. 4 Wittenberg University in the championship game of the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament 1 p.m. Saturday at Carl Dale Field.
Media coverage: Fans can follow Wooster's tournament run through the available live stream and live stats pages. Fans can also follow the women's soccer team's Twitter account @COWWSoccer for live updates.
How we got here: Wooster advanced after a 0-0 tie and a thrilling 10-9 penalty kick shootout against Kenyon College in the semifinal. Hallie Georskey, Lillian Miller, Miura Wiley, Bailey Farrell, Alexa Bencic, Katie Schumacher, Kelsey Stone, Naomi Mann, Helena Janczak and Maggie Stieby all connected for the Scots. Amanda Flory made eight saves in the contest. Wittenberg upset the No. 1 seed Denison University 1-0 on Wednesday after Amy Bidwill chipped a shot in over the keeper in the 56th minute. Wittenberg made the most of its opportunities after being outshot 22-2.
About the last meeting: Wooster defeated Wittenberg 4-2 on Oct. 16 at Carl Dale Field. Wiley scored her first career hat trick and scored just 35 seconds into the contest. Grace Gascoigne also scored her first goal as a Fighting Scot. Wittenberg tallied two goals late, each in the 88th and 89 minute in a late push for a comeback.
Who are the Tigers?: Wittenberg enters at 9-8-1 overall and finished fourth in the conference at 5-3. They enter on a three-game winning streak with wins over Ohio Wesleyan, 4-1, Allegheny, 1-0, and Denison. First-year Hannah Heald leads the Tigers with five goals and 15 points. Bidwill follows with four goals and 10 points. Senior keeper Emma Schewe is 7-7 on the year with 68 saves and a .810 save percentage.
A deeper look into the Scots' season: Wooster is 10-7-2 overall and 5-2-1 in the NCAC. They joined Denison as the only two conference teams to reach double digits in wins. Wooster rode a three-game winning streak to concldue the regular season after a slow 2-4 start. As a team that prides itself with its defense, they have turned the tables in 2021, scoring three or more goals in six contests.
Offensive firepower: Wooster's 44 goals this season tops the NCAC. Denison and Ohio Wesleyan are next with 26. In conference games alone, Wooster is still on top with 16, but the gap is not as wide with Wittenberg at 15. Individually, Wooster has the top three scorers in the conference with Miura Wiley (11), Teddi Farson (10) and Hallie Krzys (8). Wiley's six conference goals leads the NCAC. Farson and Krzys are tied in second with three.
Tournament history between the teams: Wooster is 1-2 against the Tigers in the NCAC Tournament. Wooster won their last meeting 4-0 in the 2018 championship game. Oddly enough, Wooster played as the two seed that year and defeated Kenyon in the semifinal. Wittenberg advanced as the four seed after downing the Big Red.
Tournament title streak: Wooster were winners of the last two NCAC Tournaments with the last being in 2019. Wooster's 2018 win was their first NCAC Tournament Championship, which gave them their first NCAA appearance since 1996. The Scots downed the fourth-seed Wittenberg 4-0 in the final. In 2019, the Scots entered as the two seed again after they won the championship in dramatic fashion at DePauw University 1-0 in double overtime. That, of course, led to Wooster's advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.
Ticket information: Tickets for adults are $7, and $3 for children and those 18 and under. Ticket sales are cash only. NCAC students with a valid institution ID will be admitted free of charge.