LEBANON, Ill. | Leemon Field - McKendree University women's soccer (14-1-3, 9-1-3 GLVC), the No.2-seed in the Great Lakes Valley Conference championship tournament, claimed a 1-0 quarterfinal victory over No.7-seed Rockhurst on Sunday afternoon. The Bearcats were led to victory via a 74th-minute goal from senior midfielder
Katie Spotanski while gaining a ninth shutout on the campaign. McKendree earned a spot in the semifinals of the GLVC tournament at Corwin Clatt Stadium in Peoria on November 10. The Bearcats will face No.3-seed Drury in the semifinal round.
McKendree and the Hawks battled throughout the first half as both squads fired four shots with three on-frame for the Bearcats and two for Rockhurst. The contest was locked at 0-0 entering the intermission.
The Bearcats pushed in the second half with eight shots, finding the net in the 74th minute. Spotanski rebounded a shot from junior forward
Gillian Nicholson, firing the ball into the back of the net to take the lead. The goal was Spontanski's sixth of the year while Nicholson dished-out her third assist of the campaign.
Senior
Abby Tucker added another win in net, recording full-time on the pitch with five saves.
NOTES
McKendree recovered from its lone loss of the year, avenging the conference opener result against the Hawks with the 1-0 win. The Bearcats advance to the semis in the GLVC tournament for the fourth time in five seasons with the victory.
Senior midfielder
Katie Spotanski fired her sixth goal of the season, including her fifth in the last six games for McKendree. The goal was her second game-winner of the season and second in the last three contests. Spotanski totals 15 points on six goals and three assists this fall.
Junior forward
Gillian Nicholson sent out her third assist of the season in the victory. Nicholson owns nine points on the campaign as she pairs three goals with her dish-outs.
Senior goalkeeper
Abby Tucker added her eighth shutout of the year while lowering her goals allowed average down to 0.53. Tucker totaled five saves in the win while improving to 13-1-3 in net.
UP NEXT | GLVC CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
No.2-seed McKendree will face third-seeded Drury in the #GLVCwsoc semifinals on November 10 at Corwin Clatt Stadium in Peoria, Illinois. McKendree and Drury will start the Friday semifinals with a 12:00PM kick-off. The Bearcats defeated the Panthers to conclude the regular season, 2-1, at Leemon Field on October 29.
The 2023 GLVC Women's Soccer Championship Tournament will be held Nov. 10 and 12 at Corwin Clatt Stadium in East Peoria, Ill., after the quarterfinals on Nov. 5 are hosted by the top-four seeds. This is the first year the event will be hosted at this venue and a return to a neutral site for both the men's and women's tournaments since the spring of 2021.
Tournament information and bracket can be found via the GLVC's
Championship Central.
