Titans Move To WIAC Soccer Championship Final
Christina Mauthe's goal during the 14th minute of play held up as defending champion UW-Oshkosh advanced to the title game of the WIAC Women's Soccer Championship with a 1-0 victory over UW-Eau Claire on Thursday (Nov. 5) at J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.
Mauthe tallied her team-leading eighth goal of the season, including the fifth match winner, on a 22-yard kick that sailed into the net at the 13:48 mark of the contest.
The unassisted scoring strike was the last of three shots attempted by Mauthe in the game. She previously had shots saved by UW-Eau Claire goalkeeper Sammie Lefaive in the contest's first and seventh minute of activity.
Top-seeded UW-Oshkosh (14-3-2) will now host third-seeded UW-Whitewater in the championship game of the six-team WIAC tournament at 2 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 7) at J. J. Keller Field at Titan Stadium.
UW-Whitewater (16-4) qualified for its match with UW-Oshkosh by winning a 1-0, double-overtime decision over second-seeded UW-La Crosse (12-6-2) in Thursday's other tournament semifinal.
UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater are playing in the title game for the third straight year. Each team owns a 1-0 victory, with the Titans winning last year and the Warhawks in 2013. Both championship contests were held in Whitewater.
The winner of this year's WIAC Championship will earn the league's automatic berth into the 64-team NCAA Division III Championship that begins Nov. 14.
UW-Oshkosh, which has gone 12-1-2 in its last 15 matches to rank 25th in the country by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, totaled 16 shots in Thursday's match against UW-Eau Claire.
In addition to the two shots that Mauthe had saved, UW-Eau Claire's Lefaive also stopped two shots from both Rylee Engelland and Robyn Elliott and one apiece from Rachel Elliott, Kendra Jepson and Megan Paulick. Both of Engelland's shots were fired during the final nine minutes of play.
UW-Eau Claire, which has failed to score during its last five meetings with UW-Oshkosh, launched nine shots in Thursday's contest.
Tara Dennehy attempted a match-high four shots for the Blugolds, including one kick that was saved by UW-Oshkosh goalkeeper Nina Muzi in each half. Muzi recorded her sixth shutout of the season by also denying two shots by Ashley Seymour and one by Shoua Khang.
UW-Oshkosh earned all five of the game's corner kicks in the second half.