The Midland Lutheran College women’s soccer team is in a “win-and-you’re-in” situation entering today’s first round of the Great Plains Athletic Conference tournament.
The Lady Warriors just missed out on clinching a spot in the NAIA national tournament after finishing second in the regular season standings with a 10-2 record. Now they must win the conference tournament or finish as runner-up to regular season champion Dakota Wesleyan.
“The team’s goals were high when I came in and the main goal has been to make it to the national tournament,” said MLC coach Blake Reynolds whose team hosts Dana College at 2 today. “We just came up short by finishing second in the regular season; it’s great to finish second but it’s also a bit bittersweet.”
The Lady Warriors’ only conference losses were to DWU and Hastings College and that was at the start of conference play. Since then Midland has won their last 10 games.
“It hasn’t been one of those streaks where we were playing dynamite soccer for 10 games; it’s that we slowly built our way up to better soccer and all of the sudden we look up and we’ve won eight in a row,” Reynolds said. “We were hit by some injuries and the flu bug and things like that so we were just getting by, winning the games we were supposed to win and then winning some challenging games.”
Midland could very well be in the midst of a 12-game win streak as well. The 1-0 losses to DWU and Hastings College came at the start of the GPAC season.
“The Dakota Wesleyan game is probably my biggest regret so far in the season,” Reynolds said. “We had that game in our hands, we controlled play and then they scored with five minutes left in the game and we all walked off the field wondering what just happened.
“The way it all played out if we end up winning that game, we’re the conference champions.”
Reynolds said many players have contributed to the team’s success.
He credits the attack of Natasha Heil, Alexa Staehr, Amanda Grable and Kayla Smelker and the defense of Ashley Kirkman. He also has been pleased with the play of goal keeper Sorina Mychackavane.
Smelker leads the team with eight goals and five assists. Heil, Staehr and Grable have scored six goals apiece.
“We don’t have a single go-to player but certainly we have some fantastic players,” the coach said. “That’s good that we don’t have to rely on one person but it can make things dangerous too when you don’t have that one individual who you just know is going to get that goal for you.”
The closest contest during the 10-game win streak was a 3-2 double-overtime thriller over Dana College, today’s opponent.
In other quarterfinal games it is: No. 8 seed Concordia (7-9-2, 5-7) at No. 1 seed Dakota Wesleyan (15-0-3, 11-0-1); No. 5 seed Sioux Falls (10-7-1, 7-4-1) at No. 4 seed Hastings (12-3-3, 7-2-3), and No. 6 seed Doane (9-7-1, 7-4-1) at No. 3 Dordt (15-2-1, 9-2-1).
Print This Story
Email This Story
