ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The No. 6-seeded Indiana Tech women's soccer team won its fourth consecutive game as they defeated No. 3-seeded Concordia University (Mich.), 3-2, in the quarterfinals of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Tournament Wednesday afternoon at Cardinal Stadium.
It is the first time since the 2012 season that the Warriors have won a match in the conference tournament, when they advanced all the way to the championship game before falling to former member Davenport in penalty kicks.
Karson Gardner, who made her first start of the season this afternoon, gave the Warriors the lead in the 17
th minute as she beat a Concordia off-defender on the dribble and then sent one past the Cardinal keeper to score her first goal of the season. The lead would be short-lived though, as the hosts scored just 37 seconds later to tie the game up at 1-1.
CUAA went ahead in the 66
th minute, but in a déjà vu situation from the first half, Tech tied the game up just 30 seconds later as Gardner rocked one from 30 yards out to knot the match up at 2-2. The hosts had a pair of opportunities to retake the lead, but
Ally Zenda kept the match tied with a pair of saves.
After a clear attempt from the Cardinals in the 83
rd minute,
Kristen Roe would laser one into the back of the net from 25 yards out to make it a 3-2 Tech lead. Both sides would trade shots on goal over the final seven minutes of action, but neither side found the goal as the Warriors held on the 3-2 victory.
Zenda made a career-high 15 saves in goal to pick up her fifth win of the season.
Tech (8-11-0) will now travel to No. 2-seeded Aquinas on Saturday for a WHAC Tournament Semifinal contest. Kickoff time is still pending.
