Joey Payeur
They scored early, but the Providence University College Pilots hope it’s the one they didn’t score late that doesn’t come back to haunt them.
The No. 2-seeded Pilots from Otterburne, Man., with Fort Frances native Jess Caul in the lineup, blanked the No. 6-ranked Baptist Bible Defenders (Clarks Summit, Penn.) by a 2-0 count yesterday in Providence’s second and final Pool ‘A’ contest at the National Christian Colleges Athletic Association (NCCAA) Division II national women’s soccer championships in Kissimmee, Fla.
Goalkeeper Kate Osadchuk stopped all seven shots on goal she faced for the shutout, while Julika Kehler scored in the sixth minute on a breakaway and then struck again in the 79th minute to provide Providence (1-0-1 in the tourney, 15-1-1 overall) all the offence it would need against Baptist Bible (0-1 in the tourney, 4-15-1 overall).
But it was a last-minute chance by Kehler that went for naught that could prove costly for Providence.
The Pilots’ top scorer this season launched a shot with Defenders goalkeeper Katelyn King caught way out of the net that appeared destined to find the back of the net until a Baptist Bible defender camped out on the goal line blocked it and cleared the ball to safety.
The importance of that play will be clarified in today’s Pool ‘A’ finale at 3:30 p.m. Central time between the Defenders and the No. 3-ranked Maranatha Baptist University Sabercats (Watertown, Wisc.).
Maranatha (0-0-1) tied Providence 1-1 on Wednesday and with a win today will put into effect a variety of possible tiebreaking scenarios to decide who will finish first in Pool ‘A’ and advance to tomorrow’s championship game at 1:45 p.m. and who will be relegated to the bronze-medal game tomorrow at 11:15 a.m.
With least goals allowed and most shutouts being the next two tiebreakers, a single goal by Baptist Bible today will automatically put Providence into the gold-medal contest.
A shutout by Maranatha would lead to the fourth tiebreaker, which is most goals scored.
If Maranatha wins 3-0 , the Sabercats will get the nod over the Pilots, while a 1-0 win for Maranatha won’t be enough to keep Providence out of the title game.
A 2-0 win for Maranatha will necessitate a dramatic resolution of the matter, as the Pilots and Sabercats will then engage in a penalty kick shootout tonight to determine who takes Pool ‘A’.
Caul had one of the 10 shots for the Pilots, who controlled the ball for most of the first half before the game settled into a more even affair in the second.
The Defenders’ Shalynne Laman had the best chance for her squad with a blast in the waning moments of the first half which Osadchuk stopped with a desperation dive.
Baptist Bible never really threatened the Providence net in the second half and finished the game with only 10 players after Nicole Quick was handed a yellow card for a hard tackle and then an immediate red card for protesting the call too passionately only 17 seconds before Kehler’s insurance goal.
In Pool ‘B’ action yesterday, the top-ranked Clearwater Christian College Cougars (Clearwater, Fla.) punched their ticket to the championship game with a 4-0 shutout of the No. 5-rated Manhattan Christian College Thunder (Manhattan, Kan.).
The Cougars (2-0) dominated the contest against the Thunder (0-1), who will face the No. 4-rated Ohio Christian University Trailblazers (0-1) from Circleville, Ohio today at 1:30 p.m. for the right to advance to the bronze-medal game tomorrow.
The loser will face the third-place finisher in Pool ‘A’ in the fifth-place game tomorrow at 9 a.m.
