2021 NCAC Women's Soccer Tournament Champions: Wittenberg
CHAMPIONSHIP:
Wittenberg claimed its sixth NCAC Women's Soccer Tournament title with a 3-2 victory over Wooster in the Championship match on Saturday, Nov. 6, in Wooster, Ohio.
As tournament champions, the Tigers earned the NCAC’s automatic bid into the 2021 NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer tournament. Wittenberg is making its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2017. The entire 64-team field will be revealed on Monday, Nov. 8, at 1:00 p.m. on NCAA.com via the selection show.
Wooster was first to score in the championship matchup, as senior Miura Wiley (Cheshire, CT/Cheshire Academy) netted a goal just 2:05 into play, thanks to an assist from junior Teddi Farson (Wadsworth, OH/Wadsworth). The Scots would keep the pressure on, taking 10 more shots. However, Wittenberg freshman Brooke Mullis (Lawrenceburg, IN/Taylor HS) would set up a goal for senior Sydney Artis (Galloway, OH/Hilliard Bradley HS) in the 37th minute to even the score at 1-1. Each team would tally three more shots apiece but would finish out the half tied one-all.
After halftime, the Scots would come out hot with a goal in the 49th minute by Farson as freshman Hallie Krzys (Berea, OH/Berea-Midpark) tallied the assist to put the Scots up 2-1. The Tigers would answer back with a goal less than seven minutes later as freshman Hannah Heald (Westerville, OH/Olentangy Orange High School) found the back of the net off a feed from Mullis to tie the game at 2-2. Wooster would manage five more shots but could not get the go-ahead goal. Then in the 79th minute, Mullis would tally her second goal of the game to put the Tigers ahead 3-2. Wooster would continue its press recording four more shots, but the Scots could not answer with a goal before time expired.
Wooster outshot Wittenberg 28-9 in the cahmpionship matchup, while the Scots freshman keeper Amanda Flory (Spokane, WA/Freeman) tallied three saves in the loss and the Tigers senior netminder Emma Schewe (Mason, OH/Mason HS) recorded six saves for the win.
The NCAC All-Tournament team was also revealed at the conclusion of the tournament. Twelve members from Denison, Kenyon, Wooster and Wittenberg made up the field. Wittenberg’s Mullis was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
All-Tournament Team
Abby King, Denison
Katie Livingston, Denison
Olivia Dion, Kenyon
Kit Ross, Kenyon
Amanda Flory, Wooster
Alexa Bencic, Wooster
Kelsey Stone, Wooster
Brooke Peters, Wittenberg
Hannah Heald, Wittenberg
Paige Kaiser, Wittenberg
Sophia Grossman, Wittenberg
Brook Mullis, Wittenberg (MVP)
WEDNESDAY SEMIFINAL:
No. 4-seeded Wittenberg women's soccer advanced with a 1-0 win over No. 1-seeded Denison in Wednesday's NCAC tournament semifinal game. On Tuesday in the other semifinal game, No. 3-seeded Wooster advanced 10-9 on penalty kicks over No. 2-seeded Kenyon. The Fighting Scots will host the Tigers in the championship title game on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. The winner of Saturday's tournament title game earns the NCAC's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III tournament.
It was a scoreless first half between the Tigers and Big Red, but Denison seemed to have early momentum. The Big Red had an 8-0 shot advantage in the first half and took five corner kicks compared to none for Wittenberg. The Tigers got traction in the second half as junior Amy Bidwell (Pompano Beach, FL/Cardinal Gibbons) took Wittenberg's first shot of the game in the 56th minute and connected on her fourth goal of the season. Denison had numerous opportunities to tie the match over the final 34 minutes of play but couldn't find the equalizer despite a 22-2 shot advantage in the game. The last time a No. 4-seed upset a No. 1-seed in the semifinal round was 2018 when the same Wittenberg Tigers defeated Denison by a 2-1 final.
TUESDAY SEMIFINAL:
No. 3-seeded Wooster women’s soccer (10-7-2) advanced 10-9 in penalty kicks over No. 2-seeded Kenyon (8-8-2) in the first contest of the NCAC tournament semifinal round. The two-time defending tournament champions will now wait for the winner between No. 4-seed Wittenberg and No. 1-seed Denison in the other semifinal game which will be played on Wednesday at 5:00 PM. Saturday's championship game will be at the highest remaining seed after both semifinal games are completed.
The Fighting Scots outshot the Ladies by a 14-5 margin in the first half, including four shots from Wooster sophomore Naomi Mann (Carmel, IN/Carmel). Kenyon flipped the script in the second half, outshooting Wooster by a 10-7 margin. The game remained scoreless through regulation and two overtime sessions, setting up a penalty kick showdown. In penalty kicks, Kenyon freshman Morgan Baker (West Chester, OH/Lakota West) began the shootout with a make before Wooster countered with a tally from sophomore Hallie Georskey (West Jefferson, OH/Grandview Heights). The Ladies and Fighting Scots traded scores until the 10th round, where a Kenyon miss set up Scots’ freshman Maggie Stieby (Fort Thomas, KY/Highlands) for a game-winning kick. Stieby converted and sent Wooster to the conference tournament championship game for the third season in a row.
SEEDINGS & PAIRINGS:
Denison (7-1-0) won its 11th North Coast Athletic Conference women's soccer championship after finishing the regular season with 21 points in conference play. Allegheny and Ohio Wesleyan have claimed nine titles all-time, followed by Wooster (5), Wittenberg (4), Kenyon (3) and DePauw (2).
Kenyon (5-2-1) and Wooster (5-2-1) finished tied for second in the regular season standings, followed by Wittenberg (5-3-0), Ohio Wesleyan (4-3-1), Oberlin (3-4-1), DePauw (2-4-1), Allegheny (1-5-1) and Hiram (0-8-0).
As conference champions, the Big Red will enter the 2021 NCAC Tournament as the top seed and will entertain fourth-seeded Wittenberg on Wednesday, Nov. 3, at 5:00 p.m., while second-seeded Kenyon will host third-seeded Wooster on Tuesday, Nov. 2, at 2:00 p.m. Denison beat Wittenberg, 1-0, in the regular season on Oct. 23, while Kenyon earned a 1-0 decision over Wooster on Oct. 20.
The championship match is set for Saturday, Nov. 6, at the site of the highest remaining seed to emerge from the semifinal round.
TOURNEY NOTES: The tournament winner receives the NCAC’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament ... Denison returns to the tournament field for the 18th time in the past 19 seasons and will look for its fourth tournament title, most recently winning it in 2016 … Kenyon returns to the tournament for the seventh-straight season and will be seeking its second tournament title ... Wooster enters its 11th NCAC Tournament and will look for its third tournament title ... Wittenberg is making its 17th tournament appearance all-time and seventh in the last eight seasons… The Fighting Scots claimed their second Tournament title in 2019 after working through the bracket as the No. 2 seed by knocking off No. 3 Denison, 2-0, in the semifinals and No. 1 DePauw in double overtime, 1-0, in the championship final … Ohio Wesleyan leads all programs with six tournament titles, followed closely by Wittenberg with five; Denison boasts three tourney crowns, while DePauw and Wooster each claim two and Allegheny and Kenyon have one.