November 7, 2022

Women's Soccer Falls in Regional Semifinal

Crown (MN) 7-10-3, 4-7-3

Faith Bapt. Bible 2-4-0, 0-0-0

Final

Crown (MN) (7-10-3, 4-7-3)

Faith Bapt. Bible (2-4-0, 0-0-0)

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota—Like the men's soccer team, the Lady Eagles had one of the toughest draws of any team in NCCAA Division II soccer, with three of the nation's top four ranked teams placed in the North Region: Providence (ranked number one in the nation); Crown College (ranked number three in the nation); and Faith (ranked number four in the nation). Only one of them could advance to the final four championship round at the national tournament in Kissimmee, Florida.

Faith faced Crown College in the semifinal round on Friday, November 4, for the third time this season, needing to find a way to beat the Polars to advance to the regional final. The Eagles' defense held its ground for the first 18 minutes and the offense had a pair of opportunities to strike first, but it was Crown's Abigail Shull who scored an unassisted goal at 18:02 to give the Polars the early advantage.

Two more goals by the Polars toward the end of the first half really took the wind out of the Eagles' wings on a frigid night in the Twin Cities as Faith trailed 3-0 at halftime. Faith was unable to grab the momentum back in the second half and Crown added on three more goals to make the final score 6-0. Faith had 10 shots (four on goal), while Crown had 30 shots (13 on goal).

Crown College lost the next day in the regional championship to Providence in overtime. The national tournament field is set with Great Lakes Christian vs. Southwestern Adventist University, and Providence University College vs. Toccoa Falls College.

With the loss, the Eagles finished their season with a record of 6-7. Five of the Eagles' seven losses came at the hands of the nation's top three ranked teams, two of which made it to the NCCAA Division II National Championships. Their four-game winning streak prior to regionals was one of many highlights for the women as they look to build off their strong finish as they head into next season.