UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University women's soccer program hosted Michigan Tech Thursday afternoon to start their final weekend of the 2024 regular season. The Cardinals (8-5-4, 6-3-4 GLIAC) won with a final score of 2-1 against the Huskies (6-10-0, 4-9-0 GLIAC) claiming the third spot in the GLIAC as Ferris State lost and Davenport did not compete.
SVSU outshot MTU 18-17 but the Huskies had seven shots on goal to the Cardinals six. Stephanie Strong led the team with seven shots, four on goal, along with her game winning goal in the 53rd minute. Saginaw Valley led in possession of the tight match with 52% and did not trail after scoring first in the second half.
Kaley Douglass opened the scoring after a scoreless first half. Just under four minutes into the second half, Strong passed a ball into the right side of the box and Douglass stepped up and beat the Michigan Tech keeper to the loose ball and her strike went over the keeper and into the back of the net. It was Douglass's first goal of the season and second of her career.
Immediately following the kickoff, the Huskies were awarded a penalty shot. Emilie Clayton took the chance, but SVSU keeper Lainey Garbarz made the save diving to her left. However, the rebound kicked back to Clayton who scored on the other half of the net to tie the match.
The tie didn't last long as well as just over two minutes later, Strong received a pass from Madi Bajis on the left side and her shot beat Bri Barrows in the bottom right corner to give SVSU the 2-1 lead. The Cardinals held on for the remainder of the match, limiting chances and earning the three crucial conference points.
Up Next: Saginaw Valley women's soccer wraps up the regular season on Saturday as they host Northern Michigan (11-3-2, 9-2-1 GLIAC). A win guarantees the third seed and a draw guarantees the fourth seed for SVSU in the GLIAC tournament.
