San Antonio - The top-seeded Tiger women
scored three first-half goals and shut out No. 2 seed Texas
Lutheran University 3-0 to win their sixth consecutive Southern
Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship on Sunday
afternoon.
Third-ranked Trinity (20-0-1) also clinched the
automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Playoffs. The opening-rounds
sites and pairings will be announced Monday. Texas Lutheran
completed the season with a 10-9-1 mark.
Coach Lance Key has now led the Tigers to nine
conference titles in 11 seasons, and to the NCAA Playoffs for the
10th occasion. The Tigers advanced to the 2013 NCAA Championship
game, played at Toyota Field in San Antonio.
All-American Kelsey Falcone was named the SCAC
Tournament Offensive Most Valuable Player, while teammate Shelby
Hopkins was the SCAC Tournament Defensive MVP.
Falcone scored the eventual game-winner in the
seventh minute of today's title-clinching victory. She also
netted two goals - including the game-winner - in yesterday's 7-0
win over Austin College. Hopkins supplied the assist for
Falcone's game-winner today, and led a stingy defense that didn't
allow a shot in two SCAC Torunament games.
Maggie Olvera gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead with 14
minutes remaining in the first half of today's game, on assists
from Hannah Kuhl and Nicole Gardini. It marked Olvera's 10th
goal of the campaign. The final goal came from Colleen Markey, on a
solo shot in the 20th minute.
Devan Osegueda held the goalkeepers position for
75 minutes, and was relieved by Lauren Goldberg. The two
seniors combined for the team's 15th overall shutout this season,
as well as the fifth consecutive clean sheet.