HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University women’s soccer team will meet Ashland University at 1 p.m. Saturday in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region championship match at the Town & Country Sports Complex in Wilder, Ky.
NKU, 19-0-2 and ranked No. 1 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll, is the No. 1 seed in the Great Lakes Region and received a first-round bye. Ashland (15-1-2), the No. 2 seed and ranked 12th nationally, posted a 3-2 win over Wheeling Jesuit University on Wednesday to advance to the championship match against NKU.
Ashland pulled out the victory over Wheeling Jesuit with 58 seconds remaining in regulation Wednesday when Jen Berardinelli scored a goal that snapped a 2-2 tie. Ashland is making its sixth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
NKU met Ashland in the first round of last season’s NCAA Division II Tournament, and the Norse posted a 4-0 victory over the Eagles at Ashland, Ohio. Betsy Moore scored a pair of first-half goals as the Norse rolled to the win.
It marked the first-ever meeting between the two schools in women’s soccer.
NKU won its fifth consecutive Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament last Sunday with a 1-0 victory over the University of Missouri-St. Louis. With less than two minutes remaining in regulation, Carey Hebbeler took a corner kick from the right side of the field and placed it perfectly in the box.
The kick was redirected by Michelle Kelly, who headed the ball to Stephanie Sandfoss in front of the goal. Sandfoss took the pass and headed the ball past Missouri-St. Louis goalie Rebecca Senn into the net with just 1:43 remaining in the match.
It was the 15th goal of the season for Sandfoss, a graduate of Highlands High School who leads the GLVC in that category.
Megan Zalla recorded the shutout and had three saves for NKU, which has never lost (13-0 all-time) in the GLVC Tournament. The Norse held a 15-3 advantage in shot attempts over second-seeded Missouri-St. Louis (13-7-1) but were unable to find the net until Sandfoss’ shot late in the contest.
NKU - which finished with an 11-0 advantage in corner kicks Sunday - has 13 shutouts this season, and the Norse have held their last five opponents without a goal.
If NKU defeats Ashland on Saturday, the Norse will be one victory away from making their fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division II Final Four. The Great Lakes Region champion will play host to the Central Region champion - either the University of Nebraska at Omaha (20-0) or Truman State University (16-2-2) - on Nov. 23 in the national quarterfinals.
The winner of that match will advance to the NCAA Division II Final Four, which will be held Dec. 6-8 at Virginia Beach, Va.
Michelle Kelly