No.5 Marian and No.7 Spring Arbor round out final four at NAIA Women’s Soccer Championships

by | Apr 30, 2021 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

FOLEY, Ala. –  Day two of the 2020 NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship Final Site opened with a thrilling, come-from-behind effort from No. 5 Marian (Ind.) as the semifinal matchups are now set. Spring Arbor (Mich.) provided the day’s biggest upset with a 1-0 victory over No. 2 Southeastern (Fla.).

GAME NOTES/HIGHLIGHTS

No. 5 Marian (Ind.) def. No. 4 Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 4-3

  • Martin Methodist (Tenn.) jumped-out to a 2-0 lead within the first 18:30 of the first half with goals from Estelle Badoedana Ekada and Abbie Madden. It was the first of two goals for Ekada in the match.
  • With less than a minute remaining in the opening 45 minutes, Erin Oleksak scored her first of the match for the Knights to make it a 2-1 contest heading into halftime.
  • Chloe Ulmer tied the match just minutes into the second half from a cross in the box from Allie Schlom.
  • Ekada netted her second tally for the RedHawks in the 64th minute on a goal just under the crossbar.
  • Marian (Ind.) scored the games’ final two, to come away with the win. After Sydney Genatempo’s header on a corner found the back of the net, Erin Oleksak scored her team-leading 21st goal in the 84th minute to seal the deal for her squad.
  • The loss for Martin Methodist was the first of the season for the Redhawks.
  • Oleksak was named the NAIA National Championship Outstanding Offensive Player at the 2019 championship final site. The sophomore now has 41 goals in her young career.
  • This is the second consecutive season that Marian has overcome Martin Methodist to advance in final site play. In 2019, Marian secured the upset as the No. 12-seed with a 5-3 win.

 

No. 1 William Carey (Miss.) def. No. 8 Central Methodist (Mo.) 4-0

  • Ana Paula Santos had assists on the first and third goals in the match as the No. 1-seeded William Carey (Miss.) advanced to the semifinal round on Saturday.
  • William Carey and Central Methodist (Mo.) entered halftime tied at zero. The Crusaders outshot the Eagles 10-9 in the first period, but Sheila Sanchez recorded six saves for Central Methodist to Sabrina Lang’s two.
  • In the 58th minute, Marina Sonet scored for William Carey to open-up the scoring in the match.
  • Just 4:10 later, Laia Sedo made it 2-0 on a goal in the 62nd minute.
  • Alyssia Davis and Adrijane Feliz added goals in the 67th and 76th minutes respectively to help solidify the victory.
  • With the win, the Crusaders will head back to the semifinal round of the national championship for the fourth consecutive year.
  • William Carey is in search of its second red banner in team history. The first came in 2018 in Orange Beach, Ala.

 

No. 7 Spring Arbor (Mich.) def. No. 2 Southeastern (Fla.) 1-0

  • Madison Marshall scored the first goal of the match in the second minute of action to give Spring Arbor (Mich.) a 1-0 lead.
  • Marshall’s goal was her third of the final site after netting a pair against Eastern Oregon on Tuesday.
  • The Cougars’ defense stood firm and held Southeastern to two shots on goal. Aisha Solorzano had the best of these opportunities with under nine minutes to play, but was turned away by Samantha Tracey in a diving save.
  • With the win, Spring Arbor returns to the semifinal round. The Cougars have advanced to the semifinals now in five of the last six years.

 

No. 3 Keiser (Fla.) def. No. 6 Cumberlands (Ky.) 6-0

  • Keiser (Fla.) totaled four goals in the first half and never looked back in a 6-0 win over Cumberlands (Ky.).
  • The defending national champions scored 3:55 into the match with a tally from Matilda Ovenberger. The junior recorded a hat trick in the game after netting the first two goals of the contest.
  • The last time a player has scored three goals at a final site was Yulie Lopez for Southeastern (Fla.) in a 5-1 victory over Vanguard on December 3, 2019.
  • Ovenberger, a former NAIA Championship Outstanding Offensive Player in 2018, now has 65 career goals.
  • Keiser is looking to return to the championship match for the third consecutive season.
  • Emma Holmskov scored the game’s third goal on a perfectly placed header from Maja Henriksson on a corner kick to give the Seahawks a 3-0 advantage.
  • Holmskov scored again on another connection from Henriksson in the 70th minute, also off a corner kick.
  • Maja Lundman also found the back of the net in the 21st minute. The goal was her 13th of the season.

 

Semifinals Schedule | Saturday, May 1, 2021

4:00 p.m. CT – No. 1 William Carey (Miss.) vs. No. 5 Marian (Ind.) | Live Stats

7:00 p.m. CT – No. 3 Keiser (Fla.) vs. No. 7 Spring Arbor (Mich.) | Live Stats