Titans Capture WIAC Tournament Title, NCAA Postseason Berth

Mackenzie Bennett tallied a match-winning goal for the third consecutive contest as UW-Oshkosh defeated UW-La Crosse, 2-1, in the championship game of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Tournament (presented by Culver's) held Saturday (Nov. 6) at J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.

Bennett, who previously scored the decisive goal in UW-Oshkosh overtime wins of 1-0 against UW-River Falls on Oct. 30 and 3-2 versus UW-Eau Claire on Nov. 4, put the Titans ahead of UW-La Crosse for good on Saturday with her successful 30-yard free kick during the contest's 32nd minute (31:16) of play. The goal was Bennett's sixth of the year.

UW-Oshkosh survived 13 UW-La Crosse shots the rest of the way to earn the WIAC's automatic bid to the 64-team NCAA Division III Championship that begins play next weekend (Nov. 12-14) with 32 first-round and 16 second-round contests. UW-Oshkosh will find out its opponent, date, and site of its first-round match during a selection show televised on NCAA.com at noon Monday (Nov. 8).

UW-Oshkosh, which set a program record with its 16 victories (16-2-1 record) this season, will be appearing in the Division III Championship for the fifth time. The Titans previously participated in the NCAA tournament in 2006, 2011, 2014 and 2015.

UW-Oshkosh's Mackenzie Stein opened the scoring in Saturday's match with her 15-yard kick during the 21st minute (20:14) of action. The goal was Stein's fourth of the season.

UW-La Crosse, which was playing in its fifth straight WIAC Tournament final, evened the score against the Titans on Ellie Arndt's 10-yard kick during the contest's 24th minute of activity. Arndt's fourth goal of the season followed passes from Sophie Amundson and Alexis McMahon.

UW-La Crosse (14-4-2) lost its match to UW-Oshkosh despite posting convincing advantages of 22-8 in shots, 8-3 in shots on goal and 15-1 in corner kicks. The Eagles were led by the five shots from Ellie Behnke, four from Arndt and three apiece from Amundson and Ainsley Allen.

UW-Oshkosh's shot count featured the three attempts from Stein and the two from Mallory Knight.

Both goalkeepers played the entire match as Erin Toomey saved seven shots for UW-Oshkosh and Quinn Shannon one for UW-La Crosse. Toomey recorded four of her saves in the opening period.

UW-Oshkosh also defeated UW-La Crosse, 2-1, on Oct. 23 at J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.

A winner of nine consecutive contests, UW-Oshkosh has outscored its 19 opponents this season by a 50-15 count. The Titans have also registered season advantages over its foes of 337-172 in shots, 187-69 in shots on goal and 93-69 in corner kicks. UW-Oshosh also extended its home winning streak at J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium to 15 straight matches.

2021 WIAC Women's Soccer Tournament Program - Final

Photo by Terri Cole