WILDER, Ky. - Kristen Votapek and Katie Hanck turned Halloween into a nightmarish experience for the University of Missouri-St. Louis women’s soccer team Sunday afternoon.
Votapek scored a pair of goals and had an assist, while Hanck added a goal and an assist as Northern Kentucky University overpowered Missouri-St. Louis, 4-1, in the first round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament. NKU improved to 14-3-1 and will meet second-seeded Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (13-5) on Friday in the GLVC Tournament semifinals at Kenosha, Wis.
The University of Wisconsin-Parkside is the top seed and host for the GLVC Tournament semifinals and championship. The Rangers will meet either Bellarmine University or Saint Joseph’s College in the other semifinal contest Friday.
The third-seeded Norse wasted no time in dispatching the sixth-seeded Riverwomen (9-9-1). Amy Martini took a pass from Hanck and beat Missouri-St. Louis goalie Danielle Troha for a goal to give NKU a 1-0 lead just six minutes into the game.
Hanck extended NKU’s lead to 2-0 at the 22:48 mark when she found the back of the net off a cross from Votapek. The Norse made it 3-0 at the 34:34 mark after Votapek fired a shot from the left side that curled in off the right post.
After Missouri-St. Louis cut the lead to 3-1 on Sonya Hauan’s goal at the 64:05 mark, Votapek responded 51 seconds later by heading in a pass from Michelle Heckman for a 4-1 NKU advantage. The Norse - ranked 17th nationally in the NCAA Division II poll - defeated Missouri-St. Louis for the 12th straight time and eliminated the Riverwomen from the GLVC Tournament for the third straight year.
NKU, which has won five of the last six GLVC championships, is now 16-0-1 all-time in the GLVC Tournament. A year ago, Wisconsin-Parkside ended NKU’s five-year reign as GLVC Tournament champion by edging the Norse in a penalty-kick shootout.
NKU is currently ranked third in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region poll. The top four teams in those rankings will advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Wisconsin-Parkside is No. 1 in the poll, followed by SIUE and NKU. Ashland University is fourth in the poll.
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Kristen Votapek |