FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- No. 5-seed Indiana Wesleyan University women’s soccer defeated No. 4-seed Saint Francis (Ind.) 3-1 on Saturday night in the Crossroads League Tournament Quarterfinals played in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Indiana Wesleyan advances to the Crossroads League Tournament Semifinals for the first time in five years.

Matchup Details

• Score:  Indiana Wesleyan 3   |   Saint Francis 1
• Records:  Indiana Wesleyan 9-8-1   |   Saint Francis 11-8-0
• NAIA DII Top- 25 Rank:  Indiana Wesleyan - Not ranked   |   Saint Francis - Not ranked
• Location:  Bishop John D’Arcy Stadium   |   University of Saint Francis   |   Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Brief:  No. 5-seed Indiana Wesleyan University women’s soccer defeated No. 4-seed Saint Francis (Ind.) 3-1 on Saturday night in the Crossroads League Tournament Quarterfinals played in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Indiana Wesleyan advances to the Crossroads League Tournament Semifinals for the first time in five years.

What Went Down

• Indiana Wesleyan struck in the 25th minute off a free kick at the edge of the 18-yard box. Nicole Biggs (SR/Fort Wayne, Ind.) played the ball in and Lizzie Rittenhouse (JR/Marion, Ind.) headed the ball to the back post for the 1-0 lead.
• Less than five minutes after the Rittenhouse goal, the Wildcats struck again for what would be the game-winning goal. In the 30th minute Indiana Wesleyan had a build up from the defensive third which resulted in an Allie Custer (SR/Westerville, Ohio) goal as Rittenhouse was credited with the assist.
• Indiana Wesleyan led Saint Francis 2-0 at halftime.
• The Wildcats struck early in the second half to increase their advantage to 3-0. The scoring opportunity began on a corner kick and Kerry Devney (SR/Brownsburg, Ind.) would play a ball to Susan Anthony (SR/Holland, Mich.). She was 1 v 1 with the USF keeper right in front of the box and knocked it in for the 3-0 lead in the 52nd minute.
• Saint Francis avoided the shutout late with a score in the 89th minute. Alexis Guillemette (FR/Yorba Linda, Calif.) played all 90 minutes in net for Indiana Wesleyan.

Coaches Corner

• “Tonight was an incredible team win and a big step forward for our program as we move into the league semifinals for the first time since 2010. The dedication and commitment this team has shown throughout the week preparing for this match was tremendous. As a coaching staff it’s fun to see how far this program has come in just one year with our commitment to play possession football. The pride that these kids have in their program is special and we are looking forward to another great week of training as we prepare for a talented Spring Arbor team next weekend.”     -- IWU head coach Tim Strader

Extra! Extra!

• The last time Indiana Wesleyan won a league tournament match was in 2010 when they advanced to the MCC Tournament Championship. IWU defeated Saint Francis 5-0 in the quarterfinals and then beat Huntington (Ind.) 3-0 in the semifinals. IWU tied Spring Arbor (Mich.) 1-1 in the championship match but Spring Arbor advanced to the national tournament with a 5-4 PK victory.

Next Time Out

• Indiana Wesleyan travels to play No. 6-ranked and the top-seed in the Crossroads League Tournament Spring Arbor. The CL Semifinal match will be played in Spring Arbor, Michigan on Saturday, November 7 with a time to be determined.