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Shutout of #12 Ashland advances Cardinals to GLIAC Championship Sunday

Shutout of #12 Ashland advances Cardinals to GLIAC Championship Sunday

ALLENDALE -- The SVSU Women's Soccer squad faced the No. 12 Ashland University Eagles for the second time in a week, taking on AU in the GLIAC Tournament Semifinals in Allendale, Michigan. Using two first half goals and a strong defensive effort, the ladies defeated AU by a final score of 2-0. 

SVSU got out to an early lead in the match, using a goal from Hannah Tarnaski in the 14th minutes for the 1-0 lead. That goal was assisted on by Sakura Bals.

The Cards pushed that lead out to 2-0 when Amy Babon and Molly Vanderhoff teamed-up to find Sarah Samolinski for another goal, coming in the 31st minute. 

The 2-0 count held true until the halftime, with SVSU owning a 9-2 shot edge in the opening 45 minutes. 

Saginaw Valley's defense held strong from there, finishing-off the team's seventh shutout of the season and advancing to the league tournament title match for the second time in three seasons. 

Inside the Boxscore

  • Tarnaski collected her first goal of the season and second of her SVSU career. 
  • Bals posted her first assist of the 2019 campaign on the first goal.
  • Samolinski's goal was the first of her career.
  • Babon now has two assists and Vanderhoff three helpers on the year. 
  • Alyssa Watts upper her record to 10-3-0 on the season, registering four saves in the contest. It is her fifth solo shutout of the season. 

From Head Coach Michael O'Neill

"We are thrilled to be going back to the championship. We started the game on the front foot and Hannah and Samo's goals were very much deserved heading into the break. The second half was a little different, as inevitably AU started pushing numbers forward. Defensively, we were rock solid and Alyssa dealt with the long shots and crosses comfortably. It's now winner-take-all on Sunday and I know this group is prepared for the task at hand. We will rest and recover as best we can and then Sunday we will go to work."

Up Next...

Saginaw Valley advances to the GLIAC Tournament championship match on Sunday (Nov. 17) against top-seeded and No. 2 ranked Grand Valley. First kick will be at 1:00 p.m. from Allendale. You can watch the match live on ESPN3. 

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