LEBANON, Ill. - 17th-ranked McKendree University women's soccer (13-1-5, 8-0-4 GLVC) exited the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship Tournament on Friday evening, dropping its first game of the year to Maryville, 2-1. The Bearcats achieved their first-ever undefeated regular season in program history and entered the semifinal as the last unbeaten team in the NCAA Midwest Region. McKendree awaits its NCAA postseason fate as the Division II women's soccer selection show releases on Monday, November 7. The Bearcats ranked fourth in the midwest in the latest rankings.
The two-seeded Bearcats and three-seeded Saints ended the first half in a 0-0 knot with McKendree leading in shots, 5-1, while both squads earned one corner.
The Bearcats broke the tie less than one minute into the second half as junior forward and GLVC Offensive Player of the Year
Anna Stiffler fired her 14th goal, to take a 1-0 lead. The junior forward was assisted on the play by fellow junior forward
Destiny Johnson and redshirt senior defender
Kathleen Kenny.
The Bearcats held off the Saints until the 71st minute when All-GLVC first team member Lexi Gentry scored her sixth goal of the fall, which tied the outing at one goal each.
Maryville and McKendree battled as both teams owned chances in the latter part of the game with the Saints earning a penalty kick chance in the 80th minute of action. The Saints put in the PK opportunity to take the lead, 2-1, over the hosting-Bearcats.
McKendree was unable to knot the game back up, dropping its first contest of the season in the semifinal outing.
SCORING
46' | #21 | F |
Anna Stiffler via #18
Destiny Johnson, #4
Kathleen Kenny
UP NEXT
McKendree women's soccer will learn its NCAA national tournament fate on Monday, November 7 during the DII selection show that evening.
