COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Capital University women's soccer team (7-8-4, 4-2-3 OAC) hosted Wilmington (7-7-5, 3-3-3 OAC) in the quarterfinals of the OAC Women's Soccer Tournament on Tuesday night. The Purple and White would score one goal in the first half and add two more in the second to secure the 3-1 win.
After a flurry of offense for much of the first half and several close chances – most notably a strike off the right post from
Nicole Ogden – the Comets broke the deadlock in the 36th minute of play.
Kendra Kovacs won an attempted clearance from the Quakers and sent a pass wide to
Lizzie Elliott. There, Elliott dribbled down the right side and sent a sharply struck ball across the goal and into the far post side netting for the 1-0 lead. The goal was Elliott's first of the season.
The 1-0 lead would hold for Cap through to the halftime intermission, supported by a couple of sharp saves by
Liv Alford in the CU goal.
Just under five minutes into the second half, Capital doubled their lead thanks to the hard work of
Grace Estes. Estes carried the ball down the left side before sending a sharp centering pass across goal that knocked off a Wilmington defender and into the goal, making it 2-0 on the own goal.
Despite maintaining the upper hand in possession, a defensive miscommunication allowed for a tap in goal by the Quakers' Jordan Snyder, cutting the score to 2-1 in the 59th minute.
In the 68th minute, Cap re-established their two goal lead, thanks to a headed goal by
Avery Hart. Hart drew a foul near midfield and then sauntered up toward goal to prepare for the free kick. On the ensuing service,
Taylor Duff sent a perfectly placed ball to Hart's head, where the team's leading scorer did the rest for her fifth goal of the season.
Despite some fierce competition in the final 20ish minutes, Cap kept their two-goal lead in hand to stay ahead 3-1 to the end. Alford (5-7-4) finished the game one off of her career high at eight total saves.
UP NEXT
The Comets advance to play at two-seed John Carroll in the semifinals on Thursday. A kickoff time for that contest is still to be determined.
