(Wichita, KS) –In a rematch from the previous NJCAA Division II Women's Soccer National Tournament, Waubonsee Community College knocked off defending National Champion Phoenix (AZ) College 1-0 on Wednesday evening. The victory is the Chiefs' first win at the National Tournament in school history. However, based on goal differential the Bears advance out of Pool C of the 12-team tournament after Waubonsee, Phoenix and Sussex County (NJ) all finished with 1-1 records. The Chiefs lost 3-0 to Sussex County on Monday, while Phoenix downed the Skylanders 4-0 on Tuesday.
Coach Brad Schlemmer's Chiefs finish the 2021 Fall season 17-2-1 overall, equaling the program's second most wins in a season achieved in 2011 and 2018. The 2010 squad set the standard with 18 wins under the direction of former head coach Leslie (Ferguson) Raney. Due to the Covid pandemic, the 2020 Fall season was pushed to this past Spring, where the Chiefs and then top-ranked Bears met for the first time ever at the National Tournament in Georgia. Waubonsee and Phoenix played an epic match in early June, with the Bears tying the game in the final minute and then winning in sudden-death, double overtime 3-2 on the way to capturing an undefeated (14-0) national title.
The lone goal of this repeat match-up came in the 15th minute when Phoenix was whistled for a foul, giving the Chiefs a free kick from 20 yards out. Bears keeper Jennifer Alvillar dove to her right to block Kiara McPherson's free kick headed toward the left corner of the goal. However, Alvillar could not hold onto the ball and it bounded out front where Waubonsee's Bailey Prichard popped a rebound shot back at a scrambling Alvillar from seven yards out. Once more Alvillar momentarily stopped the shot as she leaped to her right again to snag the ball. But when she landed the ball popped free as she hit the ground. The Chiefs' Olivia McPherson was in the right spot at the right time, and promptly poked the ball into the net from point blank range for her twelfth goal of the season.
Neither team could score from that point on, although they both had solid opportunities to do so. A Phoenix corner kick in the 35th minute was cleanly blocked next to the near post by Emely Mendoza. Waubonsee's Katie Jones almost tacked on a big insurance goal in the 40th minute, but Alvillar was able to corral her breakaway, left-footed shot from 15 yards out. The period ended with the Chiefs owning a 5-2 advantage in shots, while both teams were called for seven fouls in a tightly officiated first half.
With only a loss by four goals preventing the Bears from advancing out of Pool Play, they stepped up their offensive attack in the second half to primarily keep Waubonsee on the defensive end of the field. Phoenix out shot Waubonsee 11-2 in the second period, but was unable to score as the Chiefs' defense rose to the challenge. For the game the Bears out shot Waubonsee 13-7 overall and owned a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks, but had 12 fouls assessed on them to 11 for the Chiefs.
Waubonsee keeper Isabelle Harkleroad registered five second half saves on the way to recording her ninth shutout of the season, keeping the Bear's trio of returning All-Americans Anacel Valenzuela-Acosta, Daisy Meza and Zalma Torres off the scoreboard. The sophomore finishes the season with 16 wins in net, the most among all NJCAA Division II goalkeepers. Harkleroad's save percentage of .957 ranks second nationally, with the leader playing only half as many contests as her. The Geneva native finished ranked fourth in saves with 156 and in goals-against-average, posting a 0.44 percentage. Harkleroad allowed only seven goals all season, tying her for sixth nationally in that category, and was ninth in minutes played with 1,430.
The Chiefs' defense, anchored all season long by Amy Flores, Sonia Macias, Lindsay Ferris, Nichole Jacobsen, Molly Herbig, Mendoza and Prichard, finishes the season with 13 shutouts, the second most in a season behind only the 15 booked by the 2011 team. Waubonsee's win percentage of 85 percent is also the second best in program history, trailing only the mark set by Schlemmer's crew this past Spring when they went 15-1-1 overall. The Chiefs allowed only 10 goals all season, eclipsing the previous program mark of 15 set in both 2008 and 2009.
The Bears (13-4) now advance to the semi-finals, which are scheduled for Friday, November 19. Phoenix will square off against fourth-seeded Pima (AZ) Community College (16-4), a team they know well. The Bears and Aztecs have played twice already this season, with each winning on their home field. The third meeting is set to begin at 1:30 p.m. (CDT) and can been seen 'live' online at www.NJCAA.org/network for a minimal fee. The other semi-final match pits top-seeded Heartland (IL) Community College (18-0) against seventh-seeded Muskegon (MI) Community College (16-3-1) starting at 11:00 a.m. (CDT). For results, brackets and additional information on the tournament go to www.NJCAA.org
