Broncos play Sunday for first MAC championship
Nov. 8, 2003
KALAMAZOO -- Western Michigan University's women's soccer
team will play for its
first-ever Mid-American Conference championship at the WMU Soccer
Complex beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9.
The Broncos defeated Ohio University, 2-1, in the MAC Tournament semifinals Friday afternoon at WMU. In Sunday's championship match, the No. 3-seeded Broncos will face No. 8 seed Bowling Green, which defeated Central Michigan, 1-0, in an overtime shootout.
In Friday's contest, the Broncos dominated possession the entire first half, but were not able to seriously challenge Ohio's netminder with their four shots. Ohio struggled offensively as well, not recording a shot until the second half.
Ohio's Tiffany Horvath, the MAC Freshman of the Year, connected on her team's first chance of the afternoon at the 53:03 mark, and Ohio led, 1-0. Just over 10 minutes later Western Michigan evened the score at 1-1, when freshman Mandi Marsh headed the ball into the net on a pass from sophomore Katie Ruzinsky.
"We responded really well after allowing the goal," head coach Mike Haines said. "We were able to keep pressure on Ohio and continue to create chances."
On WMU's 12th corner kick of the day, senior Megan Urbats' service from the left side sailed to the far post, and sophomore forward Stephanie Johnson one-hopped a header just across the line at the 82:24 mark for the winning goal.
WMU finished with a 10-2 advantage in shots and a 12-1 margin in corner kicks.
The Broncos, who completed the regular season with a MAC record of 8-4-0, are now 12-7-1 overall, and remained perfect, 9-0-0, at home in 2003. WMU also extended its school-record winning streak to eight matches, outscoring opponents 18-4 during that run.
Admission to Sunday's MAC championship match is $5 and $3 for students. The WMU Soccer Complex is located on Parkview Drive east of Drake Road, Kalamazoo.
Visit wmubroncos.com for match results and more information.
Media contact: Scott Kuykendall, 269 387-4138, scott.kuykendall@wmich.edu