Seattle U Comes Up Short at No. 4 Washington in Opening Round of NCAA Tournament
SEATTLE – The Seattle U women's soccer team fell 1-0 at No. 4 Washington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night.
Washington (12-6-2) looked to be aggressive early as the Huskies opened the first half with two shots in the first five minutes, however, neither were on target.
Seattle U (12-8-2) saw their first opportunity come off of a corner kick in the 10th minute as the Kelsey Vogel saw her shot ricochet off the hands of Washington goalie Siena Ruelas. The rebound fell to Ava Benedetti whose shot was blocked by a Huskie defender. Ruelas then denied Kelsey Crosby as she added the Redhawks' second shot on goal during the sequence.
Through the first 20 minutes, the Redhawks would lead in shots taken as they got off four shots to the Huskies' two.
The Seattle U offense was on the attack again in the 21st minute when WAC Offensive Player of the Year Jessie Ray broke away for a one-on-one with Ruelas. The Huskie goalkeeper proved to be up to the test as she stopped the shot from Ray.
Redhawk goalkeeper Madison Waguespack grabbed her first save in the 26th minute when Sianna Siemonsma of Washington took her chance at goal. Seven minutes later the Huskies threatened again but were unable to break through as the shot from Makenna Carr went over the post.
The Redhawks recorded another shot on goal in the 39th minute as Sebelle Rojas took a chance from the left side of the goal, only to be stopped by Ruelas.
Through the first 45 minutes, Washington would lead the Redhawks in shots eight to five, however, SU managed four shots on goal while the Huskies only managed two shots on target.
To open the second half, Seattle U created the first opportunity when Ray saw her shot roll past the right post and just miss the bottom corner in the 52nd minute. One minute later, Benedetti took a shot from in the box, but the shot would ultimately sail over the goal.
The 56th minute would prove to be the deciding moment in the match as Washington's Shae Holmes scored the game-winning goal. Holmes connected on a strike from about 15 yards out, finding the bottom right corner of the goal.
In the final 34 minutes, Waguespack would pick up two more saves to bring her match total to four. Seattle U created two late opportunities with both shots coming off the foot of Benedetti, including one shot on goal in the 89th minute.
The Huskies outshot Seattle U 15-10. As a team, the Redhawks finished with five shots on goal and four corner kicks. Benedetti led the squad with four shots. Benedetti, Ray, Crosby, Vogel and Rojas each recorded a shot on goal for the WAC Champions.
This marks the second consecutive year that Seattle U reached the first round of the NCAA Tournament as they earned the conference's automatic bid in 2018 as well.