Titans Defeat Eagles To Win Second WIAC Title
Possession of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women's soccer championship trophy is back in town after UW-Oshkosh held on to defeat UW-La Crosse, 2-1, before 322 fans Saturday (Oct. 23) at J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.
UW-Oshkosh (13-2-1, 6-0 WIAC) earned at least a share of the 2021 WIAC title with Saturday's win and can capture the league championship outright with a home victory over UW-River Falls (5-9-2, 0-4-1) next Saturday (Oct. 30) in the regular season finale.
UW-Oshkosh's triumph over UW-La Crosse (12-3-2, 5-1 WIAC) also guaranteed the Titans of the No. 1 seed for the WIAC's six-team postseason tournament that commences Nov. 2. UW-Oshkosh will host a semifinal round match Nov. 4 after securing one of the tournament's two first-round byes. The championship match is scheduled for Nov. 6 at the site of the highest remaining seed. The WIAC tournament winner earns the league's automatic berth into the 64-team NCAA Division III Championship.
The WIAC regular season title is the second in the 28-year history of the UW-Oshkosh program. The Titans previously shared the 2015 league championship with UW-La Crosse. UW-Oshkosh won WIAC tournament titles in 2011 and 2014 and played in the Division III postseason in 2006, 2011, 2014, 2015.
Saturday's match between regionally ranked UW-Oshkosh and UW-La Crosse was scoreless at intermission. The Eagles finished the first 45 minutes of action with five shots, including two on goal. The Titans attempted four shots in the opening session, including one on goal. Each team had a corner kick.
UW-Oshkosh took a 1-0 lead on Mackenzie Bennett's 5-yard header off a corner kick launched by Rylie Kaufmann during the 64th minute (63:18) of play. Bennett's goal was her second of the season.
The Titans doubled their advantage five minutes later (68:07) when Kaufmann drilled a 14-yard kick into the back of the net. Kaufmann's team-leading seventh goal of the season followed a pass from Alayna Clark, who now has a team-best seven assists on the year.
UW-La Crosse, which won WIAC regular season titles in 2017 and 2018, sliced its deficit to UW-Oshkosh in half on Ellie Arndt's 10-yard kick in the 77th minute (76:54). Arndt's goal was assisted by Sophie Amundson.
The Eagles kept UW-Oshkosh's defense on high alert the remainder of the match by attempting seven shots, including two in the last 11 seconds that were saved by UW-Oshkosh goalkeeper Erin Toomey.
UW-Oshkosh, which ended a five-match losing streak to UW-La Crosse, was held to nine shots and two corner kicks. Kaufmann, Piper Green and Mallory Knight each attempted two shots for the Titans.
UW-La Crosse had 19 shots and five corner kicks overall. The Eagles were led by the five shots of Rachael Janes and the four by Alexis McMahon.
Toomey guarded the UW-Oshkosh goal for all 90 minutes of the match. She recorded six of her eight saves in the second half.
UW-La Crosse goalkeeper Quinn Shannon also played the entire contest. She tallied two saves, one in each half.
UW-Oshkosh extended its winning streak to six matches and its home winning streak to 11. The Titans haven't lost at J. J. Keller Field at Titan stadium since a 2-0 defeat to UW-Whitewater on October 9, 2019. UW-Oshkosh is 6-0 in the WIAC for the first time in program history.
UW-Oshkosh has outscored its 16 opponents this year, 44-10, including 21-3 during the second half and overtime. The Titans have also posted advantages of 284-129 in shots and 157-53 in shots on goal.
The UW-Oshkosh athletics program has now won 200 WIAC championships, including 29 by baseball, 16 by women's cross country and 15 by women's gymnastics.