by Kirby Boehm
Fresh off an OAC Tournament Championship run, the Capital University women’s soccer team entered the NCAA tournament with high expectations. The Crusaders started the tournament off on the right foot, winning both games and advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time in the history of the program.
Capital started off with a victory over the University of Chicago in a double overtime thriller by a score of 1-0 behind Mariah Richards’ game-winner in the 102nd minute. In the first half the Maroons of Chicago were dominant – outshooting the Crusaders 11-1 and carrying a 5-0 advantage on corner kicks, but Capital’s defense was able to hold off the Maroons attacks and went into halftime tied at 0-0.
The second half yielded much of the same as the Maroons kept up the pressure working the wings and creating scoring chances. However, the Crusaders continued their strong defensive effort in the second half and preserved the 0-0 tie to force overtime.
In the first overtime, OAC Goalkeeper of the Year Maggie Donnellan came up huge for the Crusaders as she saved all seven shots on goal including an acrobatic jump save which prevented the winning-goal from reaching the back of the net.
In the 102nd minute the game was finally decided when freshmen Claire Quinn sent a cross into the box and Mariah Richards connected to send home the game-winner.
The Crusaders were out-shot 22 to seven, but Capital refused to lose, remaining victorious to take on Wisconsin White Water Warhawks in Round Two of NCAA Tournament play over the weekend.
In the Crusaders second match this past Sunday, they were again dealt a tough hand defensively as the Warhawks came in to the game on a high-offensive note – defeating St. Scholastica by a score of 3-2 the previous day.
However, Capital would follow a similar script as the previous game and rely on a goal from Mariah Richards in the 43rd minute to give them the 1-0 victory – sending them to the Sweet 16 in the process for the first time in school history.
Even though Capital came out victorious in the match it wasn’t without a few hiccups a long the way. It started when the game was delayed because of weather causing the game to be pushed back from 5:00 CT start to 7:30 CT and moved to University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee – over an hour away from the original site.
Once at the new location the weather still played a major role in how each team approached the game. Both teams had to deal with the heavy winds, making it difficult to form any rhythm offensively.
“The 30-40 mph winds and adverse conditions were a factor for both teams, however we felt confident in our preparation,” said head coach Chris Kouns.
The Warhawks best chance came when they fired three shots from inside the box at Capital’s goal. Donnellan denied each of these shots keeping the game scoreless, en route to her seven saves and fifth straight shut out.
After Richards goal in the 43rd minute assisted by fellow sophomore Maura Fortino, the Warhawks began to feel the pressure of their 21-game unbeaten streak possibly coming to an end. Wisconsin-Whitewater attempted to build up a solid attack against the Crusaders but Capital’s back line continued to hold strong as they had done all weekend. The veteran unit for the Crusaders led by seniors Corey McClellan and Lauren Roy continued their high level of play holding UWW scoreless for the first time all year.
Coach Kouns was quick to give credit to the back line but wanted to reiterate how it took a team effort to get the win.
“After we scored to go up 1-0 we knew that if we won each individual battle we would be successful,” said Kouns
The Crusaders will return home before they face off with Thomas More (Ky.) on November 23 at Francis Field in St. Louis, MO. In the teams previous meeting this season Capital won 2-1 in double overtime, which ended up being Thomas More’s only blemish on the year.
“We know they’ll look to avenge their only loss on the year [going into the matchup] and in the NCAA tournament it is a completely different game,” said Kouns.
The Crusaders are making their first trip to the Sweet 16 in program history and moving forward they look to embrace what is to come. This is something that Coach Kouns has been challenging them to do all year.
“We’ve been telling this team all year that they can be great, all they have to do is embrace the opportunity and take the moment”.
kboehm789@capital.edu
