Two and a half weeks ago the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's soccer team suffered their first conference loss since 2011 at the hands of UW-La Crosse. Thursday the Warhawks got their revenge, defeating the Eagles 1-0 on the road in double overtime to advance to the championship match of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament.
 
Both teams were physical to start the match. Five fouls were whistled in the first seven minutes of play.
 
What followed was a flurry of shots by the Warhawks over the course of the next eight minutes. Brianna Reid (Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek) fired shots in the 9th and 10th minutes, but both sailed wide. Morgan Beaty (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb) sent one towards the goal, but it too was wide of the target. Carly Pottle (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) ripped a shot in the 11th minute and Payton DeLuga (Algonquin, Ill./Dundee Crown) added one in the 14th minute, but both were blocked. Pottle tallied the final shot in the sequence on goal, but UW-L keeper Kennedy Brault was there to make the save.
 
Head Coach Ryan Quamme noted, "We started the game well and were able to puts some great pressure in the attacking third."
 
Adria Schueler (Wales, Wis./Mukwonago) and Pottle each put a shot on goal later in the half, but Brault was again there to preserve the scoreless tie as the teams headed to overtime.
 
The Warhawks' offensive firepower cooled off a bit in the second half. After notching ten shots in the first 45 minutes, UW-W managed just three in the second half, none on goal.
 
The Eagles' Margaret Harings almost won it for the home team in the 89th minute, but her shot was stopped by Warhawk goalkeeper Erin Doody (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln Way Central). It was the only save Doody had to make in regulation.
 
UW-La Crosse had the first chance in overtime but sent the ball over the goal.
 
Beaty had a shot to win it in the 98th minute, but Brault came up big again to keep the game tied at zero.
 
Thirty-five seconds into the second overtime, freshman forward Alex Cording almost scored the golden goal for UW-L, but Doody made a stop and the game pushed on.
 
Finally, in the 104th minute of play, Beaty found Marie Lesperance (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha South)for her sixth goal of the season and a Warhawk win.
 
Defense was the difference in Thursday's match. The Warhawks held the Eagles to eight total shots in 104 minutes, and only two were on goal. Quamme stated after the match, "The defensive effort by our entire team was the key to our success."
 
This is the Warhawks' second straight shutout. UW-W defeated UW-Stout in the first round of the WIAC tournament on Tuesday 4-0.
 
UW-Whitewater, 16-4, advances to the WIAC championship game to face either fourth-seeded UW-Eau Claire or top-seeded UW-Oshkosh. Their semifinal match takes place at 6 pm on Thursday. If UW-EC wins, the Warhawks will host on Saturday at 6 pm. If the Titans win, UW-W will make the trip to Oshkosh for a 2 pm match. The winner of the WIAC tournament earns the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.

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