WSU vs. UIC | Photo by Christian Peters | The Wright State Guardian
Wright State University (WSU) Women’s Soccer’s kept their playoff hopes alive during their game against the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC).
Head Coach Travis Sobers was able to rally his players during the break, as the Raiders found the back of the net twice against the Flames.
The team needs a sixth-place finish in order to qualify for the HL tournament and currently sits in seventh, with one game left to play.
Their final game is against third-place Northern Kentucky (NKU) Norse at home and is a must-win in order for the Raiders to have a chance to move on.
Staying alive
The Flames put pressure on the Raiders from the start, outshooting them in the first half 8-2. Erin Baker was able to stop every shot that came her way, until UIC’s Megan Bowman earned a penalty kick with 17 seconds left to play in the half.
Bowman found the back of the net, giving UIC a 1-0 lead entering the second half, and forcing the Raiders to score at least two to win the game.
WSU fought back with force from the whistle, dominating shooting in the half 14-4, with Baker not having to make a single save.
Brittney Petrosky equalized the game in the 66th minute, and as the game clock counted up to the 90th minute, it looked like the game would be decided in overtime.
But, Michelle Rings had other ideas, saving WSU’s season in the 89th minute, stunning UIC and bringing the crowd to life in Alumni Field.
What do they need?
In order to move on to the HL tournament, the Raiders first need a win against the NKU Norse, but also need a few other games with the correct result.
Four teams will battle for the fifth and sixth place spot, as IPFW, Cleveland State, IUPUI, and WSU will battle with one game left in the season a piece.
IPFW and Cleveland State currently sit in fifth and sixth, respectfully, and will play each other in the final game.
For their part, the IUPUI Jaguars will play the UIC Flames, and will most likely take a win off of the Flames similar to the Raiders.
With the first tiebreaker being head-to-head performance, WSU beat IUPUI, and Cleveland State earlier in the year, but lost to IPFW.
In the current league standings, IPFW has 14 points, Cleveland State has 13, and both WSU and IUPUI have 11.
Because of this, after WSU beats NKU, Cleveland State either needs to tie or lose against IPFW for WSU to secure a playoff spot.
