MARION, Ind. - No. 8 Indiana Wesleyan Women's Soccer hosted the NAIA Women's Soccer Championship First and Second Round in Marion and played Oakland City University (Ind.) on Saturday after OCU advanced past Eastern Oregon on Thursday in the First Round. The first half began with IWU scoring on their first shot of the game when Mackenzie Minney found the net in the 12th minute, marking her second goal of the season. The Wildcats extended their advantage to 2-0 on their second shot in the 17th minute with a goal by freshman Avery Williams, assisted by Katelyn VanderArk. Throughout the half, the red and grey maintained pressure with multiple offensive opportunities, including a notable header by Carlie Grosser that was saved. Oakland City was held to 4 shots in the half and goalkeeper Avery Sluss made a save on the only shot on goal. The half concluded with Indiana Wesleyan holding a 2-0 lead. The second half began with the Mighty Oaks firing off the first shot but IWU responded with the next three. OCU tried to put the pressure on the Wildcats with their first corner kicks of the match. However, in the 75th minute, Williams scored her second goal of the game extended the lead to 3-0 assisted by Sarah Foulk. Despite Indiana Wesleyan's strong performance, Oakland City managed to find the net in the final minute to cut the lead by one. The match concluded with Indiana Wesleyan securing a 3-1 victory over Oakland City and advancing to the NAIA Championship Round of 16 in Pensacola, Florida.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Marion, Ind. | IWU Soccer Field
- Records: IWU: 15-3-1 (7-1-1) | OCU: 16-3-2 (9-0-1)
- NAIA National Poll: IWU: #8 | OCU: RV
WHAT HAPPENED
- IWU took the 1-0 advantage early in the match when senior Mackenzie Minney scored her second goal of the season in the 12th minute.
- Freshman forward Avery Williams added to the lead around 5 minutes later with a goal assists by Katelyn VanderArk.
- The Wildcats took a commanding 3 goal lead in the second half when Williams found the back of the net for the second time, this time assisted by Sarah Foulk.
- Oakland City scored in the waning seconds of the game to make the score 3-1 when time expired.
KEY WILDCATS
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- 1: Head Coach Hannah Shay earned her first career NAIA Postseason victory with today's win.
- 3: Avery Sluss made 3 crucial saves and IWU scored 3 goals to secure their advancement to the next round.
- 11: Freshman Avery Williams scored her 10th and 11th goals of the season.
WILLIAMS PERSPECTIVE
- "First of all, I want to say that nothing like this can happen without us putting God first in everything that we do," said tonight's 2 goal scorer Avery Williams. "We played a really great game and I'm really excited to see what we can do in the next game. So, let's go to Florida and let's dominate!"
LOOKING FORWARD
- IWU will play No. 3 Keiser in the NAIA Championship Round of 16 in Pensacola, Florida.
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