MADISON, Wis. – Edgewood College women's soccer coach Tim Alexander's 300th win couldn't have come at a better time. With the Eagles looking for revenge from a regular-season loss on Tuesday to MSOE, the Eagles got a shot at the Raiders at home on a bigger stage and shut them out to advance to the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference semifinals. The Eagles will play No. 2 seed Concordia University Wisconsin Tuesday at 1 pm in Mequon, Wis.
The Eagles, who were playing at Breese Stevens Field for the first time since the stadium's renovation has been complete, used a pair of goals within seven minutes of each other midway through the first half to set the tone for the rest of the game. MSOE controlled possession for large portions of the first half leading up to Edgewood College's first goal but deflated offensively following the two-goal deficit. Jenna Mineau, who won her second Capital One Academic All-District award on Thursday, got the Eagles on board with one of her signature headers off of a Haley Gaines corner kick. Gaines notched her third assist of the season by lofting the ball to the far side of the goalie's box, where Mineau was waiting and promptly headed it past MSOE goalkeeper Mary McFee. The goal was the second time this season that Mineau headed in a Gaines corner kick and third time overall where Mineau scored off a Gaines corner kick.
Liz Darkow then gave the Eagles a comfortable two-goal lead in the 28th minute after she made a long run on the left side of the field while battling defenders before placing it just over the head of McFee for her seventh goal of the season. The goal was unassisted and the Eagles would take the two-goal lead with them into the break despite being outshot 7-4.
The Eagles had only three shots in the second half but held the Raiders to seven despite their strong push to even up the score. Darkow would strike again in the 74th minute to put the Eagles up 3-0 on another unassisted goal for her eighth of the season and second of the game. After battling 1-on-1 with a defender at the top of the box, the sophomore from Neenah, Wis., found a little room to her left and delivered a kick that flew past a diving McFee. The Eagles would attempt just one more shot the rest of the game and didn't allow the Raiders to get off another shot.
Tori Fortney and Sabelle Seabrook combined for the shutout, with Fortney making four saves in just over 77 minutes of playing time. Seabrook didn't face a shot and was in the net for 12 minutes, 49 seconds. McFee made a pair of saves and spent the entire game in net for the Raiders.
With the victory the Eagles are in the semifinals for the fifth-consecutive season, as the Eagles last failed to move past the first round in 2009 when they fell to MSOE on PKs. Alexander also became just the 38th women's coach to reach the 300-win mark in all divisions and is now the 17th at the Division III level.
