On Sunday, Nov. 9, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse women’s soccer team battled against the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championship. After a rigorous game the Eagles came out on top, winning the match 2-0. This is the teams fourth straight WIAC Championship win and seventh overall.
After 33 minutes of the Eagles and Pioneers taking numerous shots on goal, UWL’s Sera Speltz, assisted by Monica Wawrzyn, secured the first point of the night.
Heading into halftime the score remained 1-0. UWL totaled nine shots and five corner kicks in the first half while UW-Platteville finished with seven shots and two corner kicks.
The remainder of the game was spent with both teams sprinting up and down the field, each fighting to score the next goal.
During the last 15 minutes of the game, a small snowstorm blew through Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex.
Apparently, the snow was just what the Eagle’s needed to clinch another goal. At 81:38 Ella Opie scored a goal off of Jillian Sawadski’s assist. The game ended 2-0 with the Eagles taking the WIAC Championship for the fourth year in a row.
The win increased the Eagles’ record to 18-2-1 while the Pioneers fell to 8-6-6. This victory marks the twelfth matchup between UWL and UW-Platteville that the Eagles haven’t lost bringing their historical record against the Pioneers to 12-0-2. The last time UW-Platteville beat the Eagles was in 2013.
With the win, UWL earns the conference’s automatic bid to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Tournament. This will be the Eagles’ eighth trip to the tournament, including the fifth straight.
After the game, second year Summer Nicolai shared her thoughts going into the national tournament.
“I’m most excited for the competition. There’s always an edge to the tournament because a loss can be the end of your season, so every single win is just that much more rewarding,” Nicolai said.
UWL will be playing St. Catherine University on Friday, Nov. 14, in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament. While the location of the game is currently undecided, it will be live streamed on the UWL athletics website.
