SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – No. 22 McKendree women's soccer (16-2-3, 10-2-2 GLVC) won its fifth Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) championship in a thrilling fashion, defeating fifth seed Maryville (10-6-5, 8-3-3 GLVC) in a seven-round penalty kick showdown winning 3-2. Senior goalkeeper Peyton Baker kept the Bearcats in it by making four saves with sophomore defender Ally Wickenhauser slotting home the winning penalty kick.
In the first half of regulation, it was a very evenly matched affair with both teams getting off four shots and with only two being on target. The Bearcats pressure ramped up in the second half with multiple chances near the Saints goal. Graduate student midfielder Macie Begley hit the frame twice in the final minutes coming very close to putting the game away. The McKendree stood tall in the overtime halves, not letting Maryville get any shots off.
As the game went to penalty kicks, senior midfielder Georiga Cox got the Bearcats on the board first after Maryville's first two takers failed to find the back of the net. Senior midfielder Maggie Gleckler followed her up converting her penalty kick to put McKendree up 2-0. The Saints would answer back with two goals of their own to tie the penalty kicks going into the sixth round of penalties. After back-to-back saves by Baker, Wickenhauser would put home the winning goal for the Bearcats.
Baker would end with two saves in regulation and four saves in the penalty shootout to get McKendree its fifth GLVC Championship. This is the first time the Bearcats have won the tournament since 2023.
Junior forward Maddie Mauch was named Tournament Most Valuable Player and found herself on the GLVC All-Tournament team. Senior forward Aubrey Andrews, senior defender Zoe Cormier, and Baker would all join her on the All-Tournament team.
McKendree will now await the NCAA Selection show on Monday, November 9th to see who they will be facing in the NCAA Tournament.
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