By Christian Kiener, UWEC Sports Information
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's soccer team began the WIAC Tournament in a quarterfinal matchup against the UW-Oshkosh Titans on Tuesday at Simpson Field. After an unsuccessful first half, the Blugolds stormed through the Titans' defense for the 2-0 win.
The Blugolds refused to give Oshkosh a chance to score as the home team dominated possession early and got attacking chances off crosses from the outside and through passes off the long ball. A few untimely turnovers by Eau Claire gave the visitors scoring opportunities, but the UWEC defense stopped the Titans in their tracks, giving up only two shots in the first half. Despite the home squad's perseverant offense, both squads would go into halftime tied 0-0.
The Blugolds continued their trend of fast second half starts as Lola Ruff (Jr. - St. Louis Park, Minn.) blasted the ball into the net with her right foot off a headed pass from Ava Johnson (Fr. - Elk River, Minn.) in the 49th minute. Emma Stange (Sr. - Andover, Minn.) iced the game in the 71st minute off a corner from Megan Hansen (Sr. - Andover, Minn.) and a headed pass from Maggie Conway (Sr. - Mount Horeb, Wis.). UWEC continued to dominate possession throughout the rest of the game for the home 2-0 win.
The third-seeded Blugolds (12-5-2) will be on the road at second-seeded UW-Whitewater for the semifinals on Thursday, November 3rd. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
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