No. 6 Warhawks Win WIAC Tourney; NCAA Bound
For the fourth time in the last five seasons the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's soccer team has won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship. The No. 6 Warhawks defeated UW-La Crosse 3-0 Saturday night at Fiskum Field in Whitewater to win their 19th consecutive game and improve to 20-1, tying the school record for wins that was set last season. UW-W also secured the league's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Neither team generated much in terms of offense in the first half. The Eagles did manage two shots on goal, but Warhawk goalkeeper Sara Klimisch (Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Indian Trail High School and Academy) was in position to make the stop on both.
UW-W's all-time leading scorer Brianna Reid (Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek) provided the spark that the Warhawks needed scoring just 1:05 into the second half on a pass from Marie Lesperance (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha South).
Head coach Ryan Quamme noted, "We made a couple of adjustments at halftime. Bri's goal tonight was a big moment that got us going."
Morgan Beaty (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb) scored her third goal of the season making a magnificent move to beat a defender and the goalkeeper to give the Warhawks a 2-0 lead with less than 25 minutes to play.
Four minutes later the Warhawks earned a free kick and elected Jordan Jackson (Lake Zurich, Ill./Lake Zurich) to take it. Jackson's initial shot hit the defensive wall ten yards in front of her, but on the rebound she ripped a shot that hit the friendly side of the crossbar and the ball bounced into the goal for a 3-0 Warhawk advantage.
Klimisch added three more saves in the second half to finish the shutout and earn the win. UW-W has amassed 12 shutouts this season including six in the last seven games.
Prior to the match, WIAC Commissioner Gary Karner awarded Carina Krausert (Delafield, Wis./Catholic Memorial) with the Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete award. This is the fourth year in a row that a Warhawk has earned the award. More on Krausert's award will be posted on uwwsports.com later this week.
This will be the sixth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the Warhawks. Quamme added, "We are excited to be a part of it. We are extremely proud of our seniors, they have done an excellent job leading us. This is what we've been building for."
The Warhawks will find out their destination for the first and second rounds of NCAA play on Monday, November 7 during the selection show which airs on NCAA.com at 12:30 p.m. Central Time.
Trending Videos
Headlines
- Recruiting Roundup: November 18-24
- Tracking Division I Coaching Changes
- Best of Men's College Soccer Week 13
- Women's DI Tournament Round Two Preview
- ECNL Girls N. Atlantic Players to Watch
- Men's NCAA Tournament Region 4 Preview
- Commitments: Moving Back to Michigan
- Top Pro Prospects in Men's First Round
- Men's NCAA Tournament Region 3 Preview
- Club Soccer Standouts: November 15-17