Denver Wins Back-to-Back Summit Tournaments
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BROOKINGS, S.D. – The second-seeded University of Denver women’s soccer team controlled the 2018 Summit League Final from start to finish to win the program’s second-consecutive Summit League Tournament with a 4-0 victory over fourth-seeded Omaha on Saturday afternoon at Fishback Soccer Complex.
“I thought we did a great job adapting to the conditions to still be able to knock the ball around quite a bit and play our game,” head coach Jeff Hooker said. “Give Tim (Walters) a lot of credit for getting his shorthanded team prepared for this tournament and into the final. I’m really proud of our group, how we played today, how we responded to a couple adjustments that we made at halftime and how we executed in the second half.”
Denver’s win marks the 10th Division I league tournament title for the Pioneers and their third in the Summit League (2013 and 2017). Denver will learn its 11th NCAA Tournament draw on Monday at 2:30 p.m. MT during the 2018 NCAA Women’s Soccer Selection Show that will be streamed live on NCAA.com.
Junior Hannah Adler (Oak Park, Calif.) scored the winner in the 41st, while freshman Camryn MacMillan (Littleton, Colo.) recorded the second multi-goal game of her career to lead the Pioneers on the scoresheet on Saturday.
Adler got Denver on the board in the 41st minute off a beautiful piece of play that started from the Denver right. Freshman outside back Esther Malers (Fort Collins, Colo.) played a cross in 25 yards from the endline down the right flank. Adler headed it in the air to Freshman of the Year Samantha Feller (Grand Junction, Colo.), who took it first time on the volley, but her attempt at a 10th goal this season was kept out. Adler chested the rebound down and drilled it into the side netting inside the far post to put the Pioneers in-front.
MacMillan made it 2-0 in the 52nd minute off another cross from Feller, who earned her fourth assist of 2018. The leading scorer of the tournament sprayed the ball out wide to the left to Feller who took a few touches and crossed it back into MacMillan. MacMillan took a touch in the box and drilled her sixth goal of the season off the underside of the crossbar and over the line.
Just over seven minutes later, MacMillan made it 3-0 in the 59th, volleying a cross from just outside the six-yard box that was served in by senior Leah Swander (Grand Junction, Colo.). MacMillan’s goal was her seventh of the campaign, while Swander earned her fourth assist of the season and the seventh of her Pioneer career.
Denver’s lead was pushed to four in the 75th minute when a Meg Halvorson (Englewood, Colo.) corner deflected off Margaret Lavigne’s hip and into the back of her own net.
Junior captain Brittany Wilson (Littleton, Colo.) made two saves in her 10th shutout of the season and the 17th of her three-year Pioneer career.
Last weekend, the Pioneers claimed their ninth NCAA Division I regular season title, including their third in the Summit League.
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