MONMOUTH, IL (11/09/2019) Nov. 9 – Midwest Conference Women’s Soccer Championships – Monmouth vs. Knox (at Knox)
MC 0 (wins in 3-2 shootout)
KC 0
It took more than 110 minutes, but the wait was worth it for the Monmouth College women’s soccer team which outlasted rival Knox to earn the program’s first Midwest Conference title and the NCAA berth that goes with it.
The Fighting Scots avenged a 1-0 Oct. 9 loss to the Prairie Fire to capture their first league title in the program’s 26-year history. Locked in a scoreless duel at the end of regulation which saw just 14 total shots combined, the teams headed to overtime where Knox got off three shots, but none on goal. The second OT netted the same lack of scoring and the championship headed to a shootout, the second for the Scots who defeated No. 1 seeded St. Norbert in a shootout in the semifinals of the 2017 MWC Tournament.
Again facing a No. 1 seed, this time Knox, the Scots scored the same result at 2017, but also earned an NCAA berth. Knotted at 2-2 in the shootout, Monmouth came away the winner on Mikayla McCart’s in the sixth round. Hayden DeLeeuw put Monmouth ahead in the first round, but Knox came back with back-to-back goals to offset Yari Aguado’s goal, forcing a 2-2 tie. The Scots clinched the win when junior goalkeeper Kensey Arlt stopped the Fires’ final shot following McCart’s net-finder.
Monmouth moves to 14-4-2 on the season as the game officially goes down as a tie, but the Scots advance as the champions via the shootout victory. The Scots will learn the identity of their first round opponent Monday when the NCAA announces the pairings at noon Central Time on NCAA.com.
