Day One Review
BLUGOLDS, VIKINGS ADVANCE TO SECOND ROUND IN REGIONAL
RIVER FALLS – Augustana College (IL) and UW-Eau Claire prepare to face off in a rematch of last year’s opening round after both teams defeated their round one opponents of Grinnell College (IA) and Concordia-Moorhead (MN) in the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championships.
In the opening match Eau Claire and Concordia-Moorhead remained scoreless going into halftime with the Cobbers outshooting Eau Claire 5-4. The Blugolds also had seven first half fouls compared to one for Concordia.
The 16th-ranked Blugolds went up 1-0 after an Emily Meisinger goal at 60:40 in the second half. Meisinger had been going in to put up a shot when Cobber goalie Britt Reiersgord tripped her. Reiersgord received a red card and a removal from the game. New goalie Ashley Liegakos came in to face the Meisinger penalty kick. Liegakos stretched out to knock the shot away, but Meisinger came in for the rebound and put in the go-ahead goal.
The insurance score came 81:15 into the game on an unassisted Anna Talbot shot straight out from the goal at the top of the box. The ball sailed above Liegakos’ reach and just under the crossbar for the 2-0 lead.
The Cobbers outshot Eau Claire 12-to-11 for the game. Eau Claire’s Allie Rivard made four saves in each half while the three Concordia saves were recorded by Liegakos. The Blugolds drew 12 fouls while the Cobbers were whistled for four.
This marks the second consecutive season Eau Claire has advanced to round two and is only the second time in school history the team has made it to the NCAA Championships. It was the first ever berth for the Cobbers.
In game two Grinnell got on the board within the first 14 seconds. Katherine Ni shot the goal off the wing from the top of the box to take the early lead. Miki Nakamura assisted on the play. The game remained 1-0 at half with the Pioneers outshooting Augustana 5-to-3. Augustana’s Keri Hess had made one save while Grinnell’s Liz Carrier made two.
Augustana struck back at the 71:41 mark on a penalty kick. Tessa Roberts was tripped in the penalty box and came through on the ensuing shot to tie the game.
The tied contest continued to the closing minutes of the game. At 84:54 Pioneer goalie Carrier came out to meet Roberts, who then slipped past the goalkeeper and found an empty net to put the game-wining goal into. Cody Koehler was credited with the assist on Roberts’ second score.
Augustana had 10 shots to the Grinnell nine. Carrier made seven saves for the Pioneers while Kess made two for the Vikings. Grinnell had eight fouls while Augustana was called for seven.
This was the third consecutive NCAA Championships appearance for the Pioneers. Augustana made it in as an at-large school and makes its second appearance in a row at the NCAA Championships.
The Blugolds will now face Augustana tomorrow to determine who moves on to round three. Last year the two teams met in opening round play with Eau Claire winning. The game went to a shootout after 110 scoreless minutes and resulted in a 4-3 Eau Claire shootout victory.
The two teams have not faced each other this season. The Blugolds are riding a seven-game winning streak and have not allowed a goal in any of the victories. The Vikings have allowed five goals in the past seven games and have only lost one, the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) tourney championship.
Action will occur in River Falls tomorrow and not Eau Claire due to a heavy snowfall the area had recently. The game starts at 1:00 p.m. on Ramer Field.
