San Antonio - The second-ranked Trinity
Tigers women's soccer team earned a slot in the NCAA Division
III Semifinals with a 2-1 victory over the No. 4 Wheaton (IL)
Thunder on Saturday evening.
Trinity (24-0-2) will play the winner of sixth-ranked Johns
Hopkins and No. 13 Middlebury in the next round, on Friday,
December 6, at San Antonio's Toyota Field. The NCAA
Men's and Women's Championships (December 6-7) will be
co-hosted by Trinity and San Antonio Sports, for the fifth straight
year.
The Tigers Kimberly Polasek broke a 1-1 deadlock with the
eventual game-winning goal in the 72nd minute of play, with an
assist from Hannah Kuhl.
Wheaton (21-2-2) lit up the board first as Sydney Sharkey scored
an unassisted goal in the 33rd minute. But Trinity's
Hannah Kuhl scored the equalizer just two minutes later, as Emily
Jorgens supplied the assist. It marked the 29th assist of the
campaign for Jorgens, leaving her one shy of tying the NCAA
single-season record.
Tiger goalkeeper Devan Osegueda recorded three saves in the
game, while the Thunder keeper, Kelsey Graham, had four. The teams
were close in total shots, as Trinity took 13, and Wheaton had 12.
The Tigers held a 6-4 advantage in shots on goal.
Trinity began the Sectional Tournament with a 2-1 win Friday
over Montclair State University to reach today's quarterfinal. It
marked the third time the Tigers had reached the final eight
under Head Coach Lance Key.
The win will push Trinity to its first NCAA Semifinal appearance
under Coach Key. Trinity will play in the NCAA Semifinals for
the third time in program history, after previously making it in
both 2000 and 2002.
