Huskies Play Walsh in GLIAC Semifinals Friday
ALLENDALE, Mich. – The Michigan Tech soccer team is gearing up for a GLIAC semifinal showdown against No. 7 seed Walsh Friday night at Grand Valley State. The Huskies, who are the No. 3 seed, played at Walsh earlier this year with the match ending in a 0-0 double overtime tie.
Tech enters the semifinals with an overall record of 11-3-3 and defeated Ferris State Tuesday afternoon 2-1 in the quarterfinals to advance to Friday's semifinal contest. The Huskies fell behind 1-0 in the 29th minute, but managed to turn the tables on the Bulldogs in the first 17 minutes of the final period with the deciding goals. Senior Jacqueline Mielke tied the game in the 51st minute and then sophomore Marisa DeMario recorded the game winner in the 61st minute. She got an assist from senior Jessica Splittgerber to make it a 2-1 game.
Mielke leads the Tech offense this season with eight goals, five assists, and 21 points. Half of her goals have been game winners. Splittgerber, DeMario, and junior Taylor Archibald all have three goals for the Huskies as well going into Friday's contest. Junior goalie Kirsen Hudak is currently ranked in the top five in three GLIAC statistical categories. She is third in goals against average (0.57), fourth in save percentage (.889), and fifth in total saves (80). She has played every minute in goal for the Huskies and has a record of 11-3-3 with nine shutouts during the 2016 campaign. As a team, Tech is averaging 1.35 goals per contest while the defense has held opposing teams to a 0.57 goals per game average to go along with nine shutouts in 2016.
Walsh upset second seeded Ashland University 2-1 on Tuesday in the quarterfinals to punch a ticket to Friday night's match. Olivia Peters had a Cavaliers goal in the 34th minute and Brianna Sanborn provided the game winner in the 88th minute after the Eagles had rallied to tie the game at 1-1.
The Walsh offense is paced by Peters who scored her 14th goal of the season Tuesday against Ashland. Sanborn follows with eight goals and a team best seven assists while Coryanne Swift has chipped in six goals with two assists. Dani Shambaugh is 6-3-3 in goal with four shutouts for the Cavaliers this season. She has made 54 saves and given up just eight goals in 1073:03 minutes. As a team, Walsh is averaging two goals per match and holding opposing offenses to 0.91 goals per game. The Cavaliers boast an overall record of 10-5-4.
Friday's kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and links to live stats and video can be viewed by clicking here. The official GLIAC tournament webpage can be accessed by clicking here.