By Matt Shelton
Sports Information Director
Nov. 14,Lamoni, IA-The Yellowjackets (17-1-2) will play Dakota Wesleyan University (17-0-4) Saturday, November 21, in Lamoni in the opening round of the NAIA National Tournament. The Graceland women defeated the Baker University Wildcats 2-0 to take the Heart of America Conference title in Lamoni. The victory in the conference championship will propel the Jackets into the NAIA national championship tournament, which begins next week.
The GU women prevailed in overcasat conditions in what proved to be an emotionally contested match at Rasmussen Field. The home crowd was out in force, and the atmosphere was electric to start the game.
The Jackets didn't take long to ignite their offense, with Chelsea Phillips (Granada Hills, CA) taking a Shay Eskridge (Rowlett, TX) and Karina Vega (Asunscion, Paraguay) assisted ball and striking it into the Baker net in the 21st minute. Phillips repeated the performance again five minutes later, once again with the assistance of Eskridge and Vega.
That 2-0 lead was taken into half time, and turned out ot be all the GU side would need. The excitement wasn't over however; the Graceland offense got into a groove after the first Phillips goal and, despite only one additional score, was effective for the rest of the play, keeping the Wildcats honest on the attack to compliment the Jackets defensive strategy for the second half.
Play became more physical as the match wore on, resulting in red cards being issued against players on both Baker and Graceland, with cards coming in the 67th and 73rd minutes respectively.
The Jackets' backfield played with intensity as Baker tried repeatedly to cut the GU lead. Senior keeper Leslie Danner (Raytown, MO) saved six balls in the second period (nine total), most of which were struck weakly from well outside the Jackets' area due to the firm line of Graceland defense.
Graceland advances to nationals for the second year in a row, the third trip for the Jackets under Coach Fred Wagenaar.
"We showed great heart defensively and persevered. This is the first time in Graceland history we've either won the HAAC Championship or, previously, the Region V tournament." said Coach Wagenaar after the game. "We had a great first half and it was obvious we wanted the win. We should have great momentum heading into next week's NAIA opening round game, and we're excited to compete for a national championship" he concluded.
The women's soccer team and Head Coach Wagenaar wish to thank the great fans who have supported them all year. Special thanks goes out to alumni Pam and Jim Ash for their unwavering support of the team. For more information about the team's season and upcoming National Tournament play, visit: Graceland Women's Soccer.
