SECTIONAL SEMIFINALS - NOVEMBER 16
Wheaton, Ill. - The Wheaton College women's soccer team will be hosting a Sectional Round of the 2007 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament on November 16-17 at Joe Bean Stadium. The games will also have streaming audio and video on the internet, courtesy of
WETN.org.
Tickets for each day will be $6 for adults, $3 for students/seniors, $2 for children ages 3-12, children under the age of two will be admitted for free. As a NCAA Championship event there will be no free passes accepted.
WHEATON 4, UW-STEVENS POINT 0
Wheaton, Ill. - The Wheaton College (Ill.) women’s soccer team defeated UW-Stevens Point 4-0 on Friday night in the Sectional Semifinal of the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Tournament. With the win, the Thunder has advanced to the Sectional Final on Saturday night at 6 PM. Wheaton will face either Wartburg or University of Puget Sound for the right to compete in the Division III National Semifinal next Friday at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Wheaton, the defending NCAA Division III Champion improves to 24-0 on the year, with its 42nd consecutive victory. UW-Stevens Point ends the season with a record of 16-5-2.
Wheaton head coach Pete Felske said of his team’s effort in the match, “We came out and played well tonight.” He added, “I liked the energy that we came out with and I really like the fact that we scored right away.”
Wheaton freshman #Brittany Bergh# (PICTURED RIGHT) gave the hosts a 1-0 lead with her ninth goal of the year 25:17 into the match. Bergh one-touched a cross from senior #Bethany Barton# into the upper right corner of the net. Wheaton’s lead increased to 2-0 at the 33:57 mark of the match when #Libby Passiales# scored her 10th goal of the year. A #Kari Klynstra# cross found Passiales in front of the net and Passiales blasted the ball in for the goal. Wheaton remained a 2-0 leader at halftime.
A little more than one minute into the second half, Wheaton’s lead increased to 3-0 off of a #Sarah Richardson# goal. Wheaton put forward a strong attack against the Pointers’ defense and a Passiales assist found Richardson who put the ball in for the 19th time this year. The final score of 4-0 was the result of a #Jami Herrmann# goal. The Wheaton attack was speared by a Passiales assist to Richardson who crossed the ball to Herrmann for the score.
Wheaton attacked the Pointers throughout the match as the Thunder out-shot the guests 22-4. Wheaton held a 6-1 edge in corner kicks. Thunder goalkeeper #Kristin Eggert# made one save in 78 minutes of action in the net. Junior #Justine Morey# played the final 12 minutes in net for Wheaton. UW-Stevens Point goalkeeper Meredith Decaluwe made seven saves and allowed four goals in 90 minutes of work.
UNIV. OF PUGET SOUND 3, WARTBURG 2 (2 OT)
Wheaton, Ill. – The University of Puget Sound Loggers defeated the Wartburg College Knights 3-2 in double overtime in the sectional semifinal of the Division III NCAA Women’s Soccer tournament on Friday night, at Wheaton College’s Joe Bean Stadium. Puget Sound (21-1-1) advances to the sectional finals with the victory and will face Wheaton College on Saturday at 6:00 PM. The winner of Saturday’s sectional final will advance to the Final Four which will be held on Saturday, November 24, at Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Wartburg ends the season with a 16-5-2 record.
Sophomore Lauren Thomas scored the first goal of the match just over 21 minutes into the game, giving Wartburg a 1-0 lead that carried into halftime.
Puget Sound tied the game twelve minutes into the second half when Janece Levien (PICTURED LEFT) beat the defense and gave the Loggers their first score on the night. The game continued in the 1-1 tie until Levien scored her second unassisted goal with 5:18 remaining in the second half. Puget Sound’s 2-1 lead was short-lived however, as Wartburg’s Jamie Frederick scored an unassisted goal less than one minute later. The game ended regulation with a 2-2 tie forcing the teams into overtime.
The first ten minute sudden-death period was scoreless, forcing the teams into a second overtime period. Puget Sound’s Levien scored with 2:31 remaining in that period, ending the game and completing her hat-trick for the evening. The three goals increased her season goal total to 25.
Wartburg’s Amber Bennett and Kari Krolikowski led the Knights with three shots each. Thomas added two shots on goal. The team took a total of 14 shots. Adrienne Folsom of Puget Sound led the Loggers with six shots; Katie Gillette and Levien added five each. The Loggers took a total of 24 shots. Puget Sound also had 11 corner kicks to Wartburg’s three.
The Knights’ two goalies, Rachel Coleman and Christiana Earnst combined for 11 saves in 107 minutes of play. Coleman allowed the three Puget Sound goals in her 91 minutes on the field. Kallie Wolfer played a complete game for Puget Sound and made four saves while allowing two goals.
WHEATON 2, UNIV. OF PUGET SOUND 0
Wheaton, Ill. - The Wheaton College (Ill.) women’s soccer team defeated University of Puget Sound 2-0 on Saturday night in the Sectional Final of the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Tournament. With the win, the Thunder has advanced to its third NCAA Division III Final Four in the past four seasons. Wheaton will play either Hamilton or Western Connecticut State in the National Semifinal on Nov. 23. Those two schools will play a Sectional Final in Williamstown, Mass. on Sunday.
Next Friday’s National Semifinal will be played either at 11 AM (EST) or 1:30 PM at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The winner of the Semifinal will play in the Division III National Championship on November 24 at 2 PM (EST).
Thunder head coach Pete Felske said of his team’s effort, “I was pleased with how we played tonight. We did a good job on defense and #Kelly Foltz# (PICTURED LEFT) did a nice job on their best player.” Last year Wheaton won the 2006 Division III Championship, also held at Disney’s Wide World of Sports. Felske noted of his team’s return, “It is good to get back. I am pleased with how the players have responded all year, playing well with a target on their back. ”
The two teams went to the locker rooms at halftime in a 0-0 tie, despite Wheaton’s 11-3 advantage in shots in the opening half. Less than four minutes into the second half, Wheaton took a 1-0 lead. Senior #Kira Davis# booted a free kick at the 48:51 mark of the match, from a long way out and got it into the back of the net to give the Thunder a 1-0 advantage. The two teams continued to battle through the second half. The Loggers’ best opportunity came with 9:25 left in the second half when Katie Gillette had an excellent opportunity that went just right of the goal. Wheaton secured the victory when junior #Erin Hodina# scored off of a #Libby Passiales# shot at the 85:19 mark of the match.
Wheaton out-shot the Loggers 19-8, with a 3-1 edge in corner kicks. Thunder goalkeeper #Kristin Eggert# made two saves in 90 minutes of work. Puget Sound goalkeeper Kallie Wolfer made nine saves and allowed two goals. Wheaton is now 25-0 on the year, tying the school single-season record for victories, with the 2004 team that won the program’s first National Championship. The Thunder has won its last 43 matches. Puget Sound ends the season with a record of 21-2-1.
