(Grand RapidsThe women's soccer team traveled to Grand Rapids on Wednesday to face Aquinas College in the WHAC Tournament Quarterfinals. The Cardinals entered as the seventh seed with Aquinas tabbed the second seed among the competitive WHAC participants. The Cardinals were posed for an upset after finishing the regular season having won three of their last four games. The Cardinals gave everything the Saints everything they had and held their own for most of the match. The Saints used three second half goals to defeat the Cardinals 4-1 and eliminate them from post-season competition.
The Saints used their attacking style of play to take an early advantage in the match with a goal by Jenna Smith at 11:10. The Cardinals best opportunity for an equalizer in the first half came on shot by Allison Lentz (SO/Livonia, MI). The shot was blocked by Aquinas out of bounds giving the Cardinals a corner kick opportunity with just under 15 minutes left in the half. The Cardinals could not capitalize and went into the first half trailing 1-0.
The Cardinals withstood a flurry of shots by the Saints in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Anna Roman (FR/Carleton, MI) recorded all 90 minutes in goal and recorded 3 of her 12 saves during this stretch. Samantha Golchuk (JR/Garden City, MI) supported Roman's efforts in goal with an equalizer at 61:58. A miscue by the Saints defense allowed the first team all-conference member and leading goal scorer in the WHAC to find the back of the net for the 20th time this season. Golchuk's goal was assisted by Kendra Lewis (FR/Waterford, MI) who was also recognized as a member of the newcomer team.
The match remained tied for less than a minute as Jenna Smith netted her second goal of the game giving the Saints the lead for good.
The Cardinals nearly tied the game at 79:00 as Megan Starkey (FR/Macomb, MI)'s shot hit the post.
The Saints would tack on two more goals in the last 9 minutes of the match to increase their lead 4-1. The loss eliminated the Cardinals from postseason play and advanced the Saints to the WHAC semi-finals round for a matchup with #6 Lawrence Tech University after their upset over #3 Cornerstone.
The Cardinals finish their 2019 season with an even 9-9 mark overall and 6-5 in the WHAC. Several member of the Cardinals team were recognized by the WHAC for their efforts on and off the field as season awards were announced earlier today.
