Delta and Schoolcraft Ends in a Draw after 110 Highly Competitive Minutes

A championship atmosphere was in the air at the Delta College Soccer Field on Wednesday night when Schoolcraft came to town, as a win for either side, would mean a chance at the MCCAA Conference Title. The rainy conditions did not prevent the game from being a highly competitive contest as both teams fought hard and the talent level on the field was evident throughout the 110 minute contest. Schoolcraft dominated the possession battle but was unable to score in the opening stanza, and the game would be deadlocked at 0 going into intermission.

As the game went on, Delta was gaining more and more confidence on the offensive end that they would be able to score on Schoolcraft. Five minutes into the second half, Taylor Farrand would send a through ball past the Ocelot defenders to Skylar Eckert who beat the keeper for her thirteenth goal of the season, giving Delta the opening score of the game.

Schoolcraft would answer, and immediately bring up their intensity level and nine minutes after the Delta goal, the Ocelots would answer after a goal from Olivia Borgdorff. Both teams would fight hard over the final 30 minutes and the game would go into Overtime.

Schoolcraft won the toss and elected to have the wind at their back, but could not mount any serious charges thanks to the talented Defensive trio for Delta. Almost the exact same thing can be said for Delta in the second Overtime and after both overtimes the game would be tied, and Schoolcraft would win the Conference Championship.

Goalie Kalyn Breckenridge was outstanding for the Pioneers. Collecting 20 saves on 21 chances in the game. With the performance, Breckenridge moved into fifth in the NJCAA in Save Percentage with a .908.

" I was so proud of how these girls played," Head Coach Paul Stenglein said after the game. "They respect all of their opponents, and have learned not to fear any of them.  Their play against Schoolcraft was a very good example of that."

A matchup with Cincinnati State awaits the Lady Pioneers in their next contest on October 18. The team will gladly take the week in between games, after having played four games in an eight day span.

"This was a great game for us to get ready for our post season play," Stenglein continued. "We had hoped to earn a conference title, however we were excited to play as well as we did against a quality team like Schoolcraft.  We are focused on our next goal of earning a spot in the National Tournament, and we are preparing physically and mentally to earn one of those spots."