On Thursday Nov. 2 the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse Women’s Soccer team defeated the Blue Devils of the University of Wisconsin – Stout in the WIAC Championship Semifinal game to continue their season.

With the win, the Eagles face are slated to play the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championship game this Saturday.

After several attempts and consistent ball movement, UWL took the lead late in the first half with a give and go goal by UWL Senior Maddie Granos with an assist from UWL Senior Rachel Rogahn.

“Their combination, just before halftime, really gave us momentum. It took us a while to find the first goal, but after that we were able to get into a rhythm and become more dangerous,” stated UWL Head Coach Jason Murphy,

With 55:07 on the clock, La Crosse scored their second goal. With a pass from the outside corner, UWL Freshman Kaitlyn Villars headed the ball into the net. The goal was assisted by UWL Junior Alex Cording.

Six minutes later, UWL Junior Margaret Harings scored off a free kick with UWL Freshman Tori Barnhart getting credit for the assist. The three-point lead gave La Crosse “much needed insurance” as noted by Murphy.

The game ended 3-0 with Eagles having a total of 24 shots, outshooting the Blue Devils who only had five opportunities. With this win, the team advances to the WIAC Conference Championship.

“Our plan going into the WIAC Tournament Final is to continue to do more of the same,” explained Murphy. “Continue to value possession, move the ball, and try to create as many chances as possible. We beat them two weeks ago at their place but this is going to be much more difficult.”

The Eagles will have home advantage when they take on the Warhawks this Saturday for the WIAC Championship game.

“We know we are going to have to play our best soccer yet but I believe our players are up to the task,” proclaimed Murphy.