ST. LOUIS – [BOX SCORE] Missouri Baptist women's soccer played nearly perfectly through 110 minutes of play on Thursday in the American Midwest Conference Championship match, but fell in the shootout as the William Woods Owls advanced to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round with a four-goal shootout win.
Missouri Baptist (11-5-5) allowed just four shots on goalkeeper Kathryn Kessler throughout two halves of regulation and two, 10-minute overtime periods, but was defeated thanks to timely shootout goals by the Owls.
The Spartans entered the game with a hot offense and seemed to fall right back into rhythm from the outset. Missouri Baptist posted 10, first-half shots and held the Owls to zero, but as the time continued to click away, it was clear that Brittany Griffin was going to have a memorable match.
The William Woods' goalkeeper was simply outstanding in the match and held the Missouri Baptist offense off the scoreboard.
MBU fired 16 shots on goal in the match, each of which were turned away.
The second half was slightly more even in the box score, but the Spartans controlled the pace of play throughout. MBU recorded seven shots in the second half, but struggled to get the signature scoring opportunities that it was looking for. Donna Jolliff and Argell London led Missouri Baptist in shots with four apiece.
Missouri Baptist controlled both overtime periods, but as the Owls continued to stick around, the Spartans began to take more chances at a goal. With just over one minute remaining in the first overtime period, Jolliff nearly handed MBU the AMC Tournament Title.
The Spartan forward broke in down the left side and fired a low shot to the left side, but Griffin was equal to the task and made another big save for the road team.
In the shootout, both teams led with their respective leading scorers as Jolliff and Jordan McNamara both tried to give their team an early lead. Both, however, were stopped and had to rely on the remainder of their benches to get the job done.
Missouri Baptist received shootout goals by Katie Foytlin, Lauren Gurerro and Chael Thorpe, but in each case, the Owls responded with a goal. It wasn't until a miss from Spartan goalkeeper Kessler that the door was opened for WWU. Danielle Wilson buried a shot behind Kessler on the next attempt and sent the Spartans packing for the remainder of the year.
After the match, the AMC All-Conference and Honorable Mention teams were announced as Donna Jolliff was named to the AMC All-Conference First Team.
Below is the list of the entire AMC All-Conference Selections:
Player of the Year: Anna Waldman, Lyon College
Coach of the Year: John Klein, Columbia College
Freshman of the Year: Laurie Frew, Columbia College
Newcomer of the Year: Anna Waldman, Lyon College
First-Team All-Conference Forward Anna Waldman, Lyon College Kelly Ross, Columbia College Shnell Briscoe, Park University Donna Jolliff, Missouri Baptist University Jordan McNamara, William Woods University
Midfielder
Laurie Frew, Columbia College Gabbi Severns, Park University Tori Magaletta, Columbia College Sarah Krispin, William Woods University Monica Ayala, Lyon College
Ashley Bensko, Benedictine University at Springfield
Defender
Mallory Page, Columbia College Ashley Deckard, William Woods University Heather Schneider, Missouri Baptist University Taylor Hagenhoff, Columbia College Maddison Knight, Park University Ashley Collier, Hannibal-LaGrange University
Goalkeeper
Flavia Rosado, Columbia College Lindsay Taylor, Benedictine University at Springfield
Honorable Mention
Forward – Lyndi Saccaro (BenU), Jessica Souza (Lyon), Cydney Robertson (LU-B), Juliana Lopes (HLGU).
Midfielder – Hannah McElroy (MBU), Emma Chatterton (Park), Rachel Meyer (WWU), Isabel Suarez (Lyon), Taylor Jenkins (FHU), Taylor Giese (MBU), Jessika Stiehr (LU-B), Marlo Stacy (WBC), Kenzie Andrade (Stephens).
Defender – Kennedi Van Ravenstein (FHU), Taylor McPhillips (BenU), Libby Gale (Park), Chanel Thorpe (MBU), Kelsie Nesbit (LU-B), Victoria Price (LU-B) Goalkeeper – Brittany Griffin (WWU), Stephanie Spiteri (Lyon), Kathryn Kessler (MBU)
