Women's soccer: Lady Blue Jays take double-OT route to SLIAC title

Westminster earns automatic bid to Division III national tournament

The Westminster College Lady Blue Jays soccer team completed a thrilling run to a title.

Freshman forward Kate Ponder produced the game-winning goal in the 109th minute, lifting No. 3 seed Westminster to a 3-2 double-overtime win over No. 4 Greenville (Illinois) College in the championship of the SLIAC postseason tournament Friday night at Kent and Judy Mueller Stadium.

The Lady Blue Jays (11-4-3) - who last won the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference postseason tournament in 2015 - earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III national tournament. Westminster will learn its first-round opponent and where it will be playing when the tournament field is announced (ncaa.com) at 12:30 p.m. Monday.

"I can't begin to explain how proud I am of this team. I'm very proud of the team's collective performance and their accomplishments thus far," first-year Lady Blue Jays head coach Wendy Sanchez said. "Their ambition to push themselves to their full potential has been amazing to see, and tonight was a reflection of that."

Westminster took control by building an early lead Friday night. Ponder put the Lady Blue Jays on top when she scored on a header off a corner kick from junior Katherine Hammond in the 16th minute.

Senior midfielder Gracie Koonce then made it 2-0 in the 34th minute when she scored from 20 yards out on a low shot to the far post. Ponder and sophomore forward Natalie Schulte shared the assist on Koonce's goal.

Greenville (14-6-1), though, rallied late in regulation to tie the game and force overtime. Michelle Grotefendt scored in the 81st minute and Brooklyn Haro followed with a goal in the 86th minute to pull the Lady Panthers even at 2-all.

The two teams played through a scoreless overtime before Ponder's unassisted goal in the second extra period - tapping in a rebound off shots by Schulte and Koonce - sent Westminster to the national tournament.

"After Greenville tied it up, our seniors' experience to stay composed guided the team to stay motivated and focused," Sanchez said. "Playing at that stage with such intensity, the experience is crucial in those final moments."

The Lady Blue Jays outshot the Lady Panthers 21-17, including 9-5 in shots on goal. Westminster owned an 11-4 advantage in corner kicks.

Junior goalkeeper Sarah Cradick made three saves to post her ninth win for the Lady Blue Jays.

Ponder was named the tournament's most valuable player and was joined on the all-tournament team by Koonce, Schulte and sophomore defender Alaina Allsbury.