BOX SCORE
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Nov. 4) - Seattle University women’s soccer beat Utah Valley, 2-1, in a Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Championship semifinal Friday. The Redhawks advanced to the WAC Championship game for the fourth straight season as Natasha Howe and Isabelle Butterfield each scored for SU at Durwood Stadium.
“I was extremely proud of the way the team started the game,” said Coach Julie Woodward. “We had some exceptional efforts from many individuals. Natasha had an unbelievable goal and it was clutch for Izzy (Butterfield) to get that second one to put us in a good spot. Utah Valley is a great team we knew they would come out fighting in the second half. I’m happy we held on for the win.”
Seattle U played with purpose at the start, pressuring the UVU defense early in the first half. The Redhawks earned a corner kick in the opening minute and Rosalie Sittauer put a shot on goal at the 55-second mark. After another corner try, Brie Hooks set up Howe with space on the left side. From 15 yards out, the senior hammered a left-footed shot into the back of the net on the right side, giving Seattle U a 1-0 advantage in the 12th minute.
Less than four minutes later, the Redhawks struck again. They used stellar passing to move the ball down the field, where it worked its way to Karli White. She placed a pass to the middle of the box, where Butterfield beat the Wolverines’ goalie to the ball and tapped it into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead in the 15th minute.
The regular season champions controlled possession for much of the half, but freshman goalie Mackenzie Curry came up with two saves in short order when called upon. SU could not generate any more goals on their way to a 2-0 halftime difference.
In the second half, each team created opportunities, and Utah Valley scored in the final 20 minutes, but the Redhawks held on and advanced to the finals on Sunday.
Coach Julie Woodward has guided SU to four consecutive WAC Championship game appearances, with wins in 2013 and 2014. The Redhawks will face the winner of Thursday’s CSU Bakersfield/UMKC semifinal on Sunday at 11 a.m.