Cavalier Draw Clinches Berth in G-MAC Women's Soccer Tournament
In the conference women’s soccer matchup between the visiting Ohio Dominican Panthers and the Walsh Cavaliers, the Cavs needed the win or a draw to keep their comfortable spot in the 8 seed Great Midwest Athletic Conference tournament in November. On a warm October Thursday night at Larry Staudt Field, the conference match commenced.
The Cavaliers (8-5-1, 6-5 G-MAC) holds the 6th seed in the G-Mac Standings, while the Panthers (5-6-4, 4-5-2 G-MAC) is barely holding on to the 8th seed.
In the 6th minute of the match, Senior Cavalier Hannah Stein found the net to give Walsh the early lead. With the early advantage, the Cavalier defense led by Emma Gecks, Ally Stein, Kiara McMillan, and O’Malley Quinlan played phenomenal defense to stop the Panthers from scoring. The Panthers found light in the 21st minute with Freshman Roison Kennedy finding the net to knot the score up 1-1.
The remainder of the match was a back and forth defensive game. Cavaliers Kailey Hobart, Mack White, Maddie Schweiger and Carli Miller took a shot each, while Faith Estes took 3. Panthers Devin Schoenberger, Roisin Kennedy, and Kate Kodger all took 1 shot a piece, while Meghan Coakley and Kailyn Ciborowski took 2 shots each. 8 of the 13 were on target in the 2nd half, but none were able to touch the net.
Freshman Cavalier Goalkeeper O’Malley Quinlan finished the night with 5 saves, including a critical diving save in the final seconds to prevent a Panther score. Panther Goalkeepers Senior Jadelyn McNerney and Senior Kaitlin Grady combined for 3 saves on the night.
The Cavaliers will go to 8-5-2 (6-5-1 G-MAC) to clinch the tournament berth at the 6th seed, they will take on the Cedarville Yellow Jackets for their final home match and senior night before traveling to rival Malone Pioneers to close out their regular season.
The Panthers will go to 5-6-5 (4-5-3 G-MAC) to the 9th seed. They will head back to Panther Stadium for their final home match and senior day against the Ursuline Arrows before traveling back up north to Ashland to take on the Eagles in hopes to make a last minute berth going into the tournament.