By Christian Kiener, UWEC Sports Information
WHITEWATER, Wis. (blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's soccer team continued its WIAC Tournament in a semifinal matchup against the UW-Whitewater Warhawks on Thursday. Spectacular passing and few turnovers set up the Blugolds for a successful 1-0 win over the home squad to advance to the tournament championship. Maggie Conway (Sr. - Mount Horeb, Wis.) scored the winner off a corner kick in the 78th minute.
In a tightly contested matchup, the Eau Claire defense rose to the challenge in the first half handling 6 shots and 6 corners while controlling possession to build up a strong attack. The Blugold offense remained persistent, creating scoring opportunities on long passes into the box, but the home team's defense remained stagnant. Both squads remained tied after the first half at 0-0.
UWEC continued to control the majority of the possession in the second half, pushing further into the attacking zone and rarely turning over the ball. The Blugold offense finally broke through the home squad's defense in the 78th minute off a corner kick from Katlyn Byhre (So. - St. Michael, Minn.) to Conway, who fired the ball into the net off a header for the score. Eau Claire got another breakaway opportunity moments later, but was stopped by the opposing keeper. The Blugolds held their ground in the final minutes and claimed a 1-0 win over the Warhawks to advance to the conference final.
UWEC has now shut out its opponents in 5 of its last 6 games. The Blugolds held the Warhawks without a shot on goal.
The Blugolds (13-5-2) will be on the road for the WIAC Tournament championship on Saturday, November 5, against the 13th-ranked UW-La Crosse Eagles. It is the program's first appearance in the WIAC Tournament championship game since 2018. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. The winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
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