United Athletic Conference

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.

 

With the 2019 season in the books, Seattle U finished atop the league in shots taken (353) and goals (38). Utah Valley led the league in points (114)  and assists (34) for the season. Chicago State paced the conference in saves (162). Kansas City and California Baptist allowed the fewest goals (18) while the 'Roos led the league in goals-against average (.820).

 

Individually, California Baptist's Rola Badawiya finished as the league's top goal scorer with 11. Kansas City's Rylan Childers paced the league in assists (10) and points (30). The Lancers' Badawiya also led the conference in game-winners (5). Judith Sorribes of Chicago State was the league leader in saves (150). Of goalies that have played in one-third of their team's minutes, California Baptist's Romy Salvador holds the best goals-against average (0.65) and save percentage (.824). Erin Roth of Kansas City closed as the league front runner in clean sheets as she finished the season with eight shutouts.

 

Five WAC women's soccer players have been named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Pacific Region team for the 2019 season. California Baptist and Kansas City garnered two honorees while Utah Valley earned the fifth selection.

 

California Baptist's Rola Badawiya, a junior forward from Riverside, Calif., was one of two Lancers to be selected to the third-team. Badawiya scored 11 goals and netted five game-winners this season, leading the conference in both categories. She also recorded the third-most points in the league, finishing the season with 25. Badawiya led the Lancers in goals, points, shots, shots on goal and game-winners.

 

California Baptist's Karley Weeks, a sophomore midfielder from Mentone, Calif., was also named to the third-team. She recorded 62 shots, 16 points, six goals and four assists on the season to finish in the top eight among conference players in each category. Weeks paced her team in assists and started all 19 games to help lead the Lancers to a 13-5-1 record and a 6-2 record in league play.

 

Kansas City's Rylan Childers, a sophomore midfielder from Grain Valley, Mo., was named a third-team selection after she led the conference in both points and assists. She finished with 30 points and 10 assists on the season. Childers also finished with the second most goals and shots in the league as she netted 10 goals on 70 shots. This is the sophomore's second consecutive USC All-Region selection as she was named to the All-Pacific Region Second Team a year ago.

 

Kansas City's Abby Small, a senior defender from Kansas City, Mo., also earned a third-team selection as she started 20 games on the back line for the 'Roos. She helped lead her team to a league-best 10 shutouts. With Small anchoring the defense, Kansas City allowed only 18 goals on the season, finishing in a tie for the least goals allowed among conference teams. The senior also tallied two assists on the year, including setting up the game-winner in a 1-0 victory over South Dakota.

 

Utah Valley's Amber Tripp, a junior midfielder from Draper, Utah, represented the Wolverines with a third-team selection, giving the WAC five of the total 14 members named to the USC All-Pacific Region Third-Team. Tripp finished with eight goals, five assists, 42 shots, 25 shots on goal and 21 points, placing her in the league's top ten in each of these categories. She also managed to start 21 games for Utah Valley, making her one of only 12 conference players to register at least 21 starts this season.

 

Two WAC women's soccer players have been selected to the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District Second Team. Grand Canyon sophomore defender Logan Van Dine represented the Lopes while Utah Valley senior defender Hannah Bruce garnered the second selection for the conference. As a business analytics major, Van Dine was honored for her 4.0 cumulative GPA. Bruce, a psychology major, also holds a 4.0 cumulative GPA.

 

To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at her current institution. In addition, nominated athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games at the position listed.

 

Honorees selected first-team Academic All-District® will advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot. Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in early December.

 

Kansas City senior defender Abby Small has been selected as one of 30 women's candidates for the Senior CLASS Award®. The total list of candidates is comprised of 60 NCAA men's and women's soccer student-athletes who excel both on and off the field.

 

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

 

Small, a two-time Academic All-WAC selection, was selected to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Region second team in 2018. As an electrical and computer engineering major, Small currently has a 3.64 cumulative GPA.

Small exemplifies leadership on and off the field as one of the SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) and SALC (Student-Athlete Leadership Council) leaders and representatives for Kansas City. Through SALC, Small volunteers with Children's Mercy Hospital and donates to the Greater KC Boys & Girls Club.

 

Academically, Small is a member of IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), a member of SWE (Society of Women Engineers) and a member of Engineers without Borders.

 

Starting 67 of a possible 68 games in which she has played, Small has proved to be an anchor on the Roos strong defense. A two-time All-WAC First Team selection, Small was named the Preseason WAC Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row. She is a part of a Kansas City team that is coming off its second consecutive WAC regular-season title. At the time of nomination, Small and the Kansas City defense was ranked 44th in the nation in goals-against average (.547).

 

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

 

The group of 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season. Those 10 finalists will be placed on an official ballot that is distributed through a nationwide voting system. One female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four C's of community, classroom, character and competition will be selected.

 

The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2019 NCAA Women's College Cup® championships in December.