ST. LOUIS, MO.- After their first meeting ended in a 1-1 tie during the regular season, the #3 seed Hannibal-LaGrange Lady Trojans got the better of the #6 seed Missouri Baptist women's soccer team in the American Midwest Conference Quarterfinals, defeating MBU 3-0.
Just like the previous match-up, it was the Lady Trojans gaining the 1-0 lead early in the first half, as at the 15:54 mark it was Juliana Lopes finding the back of the net, giving HLG the early advantage.
Neither team, however, could get much going offensively in the first half. The Lady Trojans outshot the Spartans 5-3 in the first 45:00 minutes. Nearing the end of the half, Missouri Baptist was hoping to be down just one goal, but Lopes shocked MBU scoring with three seconds left, adding her second of the game and giving HLG a 2-0 lead at the half.
Heading into the second half, Missouri Baptist needed to get their offense going and get on the scoreboard early. After totaling three shots in the previous half, the Spartans were only able to manage one shot in the second half.
At the 70:29 mark, Stephanie Hall scored her third goal on the season and gave the Lady Trojans a commanding 3-0 lead. With the Hannibal-LaGrange defense holding down the MBU offense, HLG held on for the shutout win.
Senior Melissa Turney was the lone Spartan to get a shot on goal. Marion Bravo and Lopes led Hannibal-LaGrange offensively, totaling six shots and two goals.
The teams' season comes to an end with a overall record of 6-12-1 (3-5-1 AMC). Missouri Baptist loses five seniors, but will return plenty of key players heading into the 2013 season.