PHOENIX – (Oct. 22) Seattle University women’s soccer clinched a spot in the 2017 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Championship and played to a scoreless tie at Grand Canyon Sunday afternoon. With CSU Bakersfield’s loss at Utah Valley Sunday, the Redhawks secured a postseason berth.
"We played a very strong game today," said Coach Julie Woodward. "I have been proud of the steps we have taken in the past few weeks. I think we're playing some of our best soccer and are continuing to improve. We're looking forward to our senior night game back home next weekend."
Once again, SU (6-8-3, 2-2-2 WAC) was the aggressor, compiling 16 shots to just six for the hosts. Seattle U also earned a 6-0 advantage in corner kicks on the day. The Redhawks nearly converted on one of the corner tries, as Jennifer Plummer's kick curled toward the goal line and was headed to the back post, with the ball coming tantalizingly close to crossing the line for a goal. Play continued, however, with no score. Ashley Routh tallied a pair of saves in goal, giving her two shutouts on the weekend.
After a scoreless 90 minutes, the Redhawks ramped up the pressure in overtime, putting up seven shots and forcing GCU (4-12-2, 1-4-1 WAC) to make several key stops as the clock ran down.
For the sixth straight season, SU has qualified for the WAC Championship. It has won three of the last four WAC postseason tournaments.
The Redhawks host Utah Valley on Saturday for senior night. The WAC regular-season finale is slated for a 7 p.m. start at Championship Field.