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THE River States Conference Women’s Soccer Championship took place Saturday under conditions that were not very soccer-like. The high temperature was around 42 degrees, but it didn’t feel like that with the swirling wind surrounding the OVU Soccer Field.
The grim conditions also added to the overall fee of the game – two very evenly matched teams that were getting ready to battle it out for a championship and a berth into the National NAIA tournament.
The game was a yellow card festival throughout and that aggressive play meant scoring would be minimal. In fact, one OVU goal was all it took on this afternoon to lift the Scots to their very first RSC Championship in their very first year in the league.
In the first half, the action was instantaneous and both teams battled back and forth, but no real scoring threats took place. The first shot on goal did not register until the 21st minute when Rio Grande goalkeeper Morgan Nutter made easy work of a Raewyn Murphy kick. It was not until the 36th minute that any team could break the ice on this chilly day.
Ana Rodrigues set up for a corner kick, but instead of sending a cross into the box, she sent a quick entry pass to Anouck Heyer. Heyer immediately sent it back and Rodrigues then sent a shot into upper left hand corner of the goal. Nutter got a fingertip on the ball but was not able to redirect it and OVU took the lead. That is how the half ended with the Scots owning a 1-0 lead.
The second half found two teams pulling out all of the stops to try and win a championship. A total of 13 fouls and 6 yellow cards in the half but not a single shot on goal was registered. The OVU defense was stellar as they surrounded RSC Player of the year Chase Davis and other RedStorm attackers anytime the approached the goal box. In the end, Rio just ran out of time and the Fighting Scots were crowned the champions.
After the game, the All-Conference team was announced. OVU’s Ylenia Cirrincione, Raewyn Murphy, Sindi Kanto, Yuliana Hererra and Oihane Abascal were all named to the RSC Second team. Ximena Jauregui and Manuela Filipe were named to the RSC First team. Filipe was then awarded the RSC Newcomer of the Year and Jauregui was awarded the RSC Defensive Player of the year.
OVU coach Eric Belcher was announced as Coach of the Year in the River States Conference after the game and had this to say about his team.
“What a season it’s been. Regular season champs. Conference tournament champs. So proud of these ladies! On to the National Tournament. There’s more work to do.”
The Scots have earned a right to play in the NAIA National Championship tourney. Their opponent and destination will be determined via a selection show on Monday.
* News & Sentinel