NDSU, OU Advance to Sunday's Championship Match
Summit Points Blog | 30th Anniversary Season | Women's Soccer Championship Web site | Postmatch Interviews
(2) North Dakota State 2, (3) UMKC 1
ROCHESTER, Mich. - North Dakota State senior midfielder Danielle Boldenow scored in the 89th minute to give the second-seeded Bison a 2-1 win over No. 3 UMKC in the first semifinal match at The Summit League Women's Soccer Championship at the OU Soccer Field in Rochester, Mich.
At the 88:07 mark, Boldenow took a cross from freshman defender Taylor Stainbrook on the left side and shot it past the Kangaroo goalkeeper, junior Jami Finnell.
The Bison took a 1-0 lead into halftime following a goal by senior midfielder Michelle Gaffaney. Gaffaney headed it in following a free kick from freshman forward Anisha Kinnarath.
Just 10 minutes into the second half, UMKC tied the match as sophomore midfielder Ashley Gann scored the lone Kangaroo goal. Gann headed the ball in off a free kick by freshman defender Kaely Tott.
Boldenow and Gann led all players with four shots each. Finnell recorded six saves, while her counterpart Kalani Bertsch made two stops for NDSU. The Bison held a 6-0 corner kick advantage and outshot the Kangaroos 19-10 in the match.
NDSU (15-3-2) advances to the championship match Sunday, at noon, while UMKC ends its record-setting season with an 8-8-4 record. The Bison will face No. 4 Oakland for the league championship title at Noon on Sunday.
(4) Oakland 1, (1) South Dakota State 0
ROCHESTER, Mich. - Oakland's Meghan Reynolds' goal in the seventh minute proved to be the game-winner as the fourth-seeded Golden Grizzlies upset top seed South Dakota State 1-0 in the second semifinal match of The Summit League Women's Soccer Championship Friday.
The sophomore forward scored the match's lone goal by taking a pass from senior midfielder Shannon Doyle and shooting it past the Jackrabbit goalkeeper, senior Kat Donovan. The goal was just the second surrendered by Donovan to a league opponent this year.
The Golden Grizzlies controlled much of the opening half, allowing just four shots by the Jacks in the first 45 minutes.
Oakland junior midfielder Nicole DeLuca led the Golden Grizzlies with four shots, while Summit League Offensive Player of the Year, senior forward Kayla Braffet and senior midfielder Cori Bonte led the Jacks with two shots apiece.
Donovan had three stops for SDSU, while OU goalie, senior Anne Berschbach made two saves in the match.
With the win, Oakland improves to 9-10-1 on the year, while South Dakota State concludes its season as the league's regular season champion with a 12-6-2 record. OU advances to face No. 2 North Dakota State at Noon Sunday, for the championship. The winner receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Tournament Schedule
Friday, Nov. 4
3 p.m. - Match One: (2) North Dakota State 2, (3) UMKC 1
6 p.m. - Match Two: (4) Oakland 1, (1) South Dakota State 0
Sunday, Nov. 6
Noon - Championship Match: (2) North Dakota State vs. (4) Oakland
Tournament Notes
--This is the second-straight season the No. 2 seed and No. 4 seed have advanced to the league championship match. North Dakota State claimed the title last season as the No. 2 seed.
--The No. 2 seed has won The Summit League Women's Soccer Championship title the last six years. Since the league began sponsoring women's soccer in 1999, the No. 2 seed has won the title eight times, more than any other seed.
