#9 Ocelots Suffer Second Defeat in National Tournament

TUCSON, AZ- The #9 Schoolcraft Ocelots squared off against #5 Jones College in their second game at the national tournament.

The #9 ranked Schoolcraft Ocelots entered tonight in a must win game to have a chance to move on out of the pool play round. The team in front of them, #5 Jones College, spent plenty of time this year in the #1 spot. Early on, this game proved it would be no easy task for Schoolcraft. Jones kept goalie Jami Martindale busy early and often as they fired off 5 shots in the first half with 3 coming on net. Martindale would be able to stop 2 of them but in the 33^rd minute, Jones would be able to get the first goal of the game. After 45 minutes of play, Jones led 1-0 over Schoolcraft.

Schoolcraft's hopes took a hit early in the second half as in the 47^th minute, the Ocelots would suffer an own goal as their deficit pushed to 2-0. Jones would rattle off 13 shots in the second half as Martindale would stop another 4 shots. Jones took the 3-0 lead in the 62^nd minute  as Abby Sheriff would score her second of the game for Jones. Schoolcraft would get some momentum late in the second half as they tried to push to make a remarkable comeback. In the 82^nd minute, Schoolcraft would draw a penalty inside of the box and Victoria Kebbe would capitalize on the opportunity as she ripped her shot in the upper left corner. Ultimately, the final score would sit at 3-1 with Jones coming out on top.

The Ocelots season ended in Tucson for the 2^nd straight year, marking the first time Schoolcraft has qualified for the national tournament in back to back years since 2003-2010 when they qualified in 8 straight years.