Clayton, Mo., April 24, 2021 – The #3 seeded Westminster College women's soccer team knew it had a tough task on its hands playing the #1 seeded Fontbonne University Griffins on their home field for the 2021 SLIAC Tournament Championship. The Griffins were undefeated at 11-0 and they had only given up one goal all season (to the Blue Jays Natalie Schulte). The Blue Jays proceeded to score not only one goal, but two on the day to take a 2-0 lead at the half and the defense kept the high powered Griffins offense at bay the rest of the way to a 2-1 victory. Fontbonne's perfect season was no more thanks to the Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays got into the scoring column first in the 26th minute as Lauren Halamicek would line up to take a corner kick from the left side of the goal. She struck the ball well and it carried towards the middle of the goal mouth. Fontbonne goalkeeper Mary Beers would go up to make the stop but the ball would go through her hands and a Fontbonne defender tried to clear the ball but the ball was kicked into the goal for an own goal. Just like that the Blue Jays had doubled the number of goals scored against Fontbonne and taken a 1-0 lead.
The second Blue Jay goal also involved Halamicek. Time was running down in the first half. The Blue Jays had the ball and were on a desperate attack to try to score again before half. As they progressed down the field, Halamicek would be fouled with only :40 left in the half and line up to take a free kick on the restart outside the 18-yard box. Halamicek would then bury a rocket of a shot just under the crossbar and just above the keepers outstretched Arms. The Blue Jays would now hold a 2-0 lead at the half.
The second half saw the Griffins turn up the pressure. They would find a way to cut the lead to 2-1 on a Krystal Kohensky goal off of a cross from Caitlyn Smith. The Griffins would keep pressure on the Westminster defense the rest of the half. The Blue Jays were up to the challenge. Every time the Griffins built an attack the Blue Jay defense led by senior Alaina Allsbury, sophomore Abbey Montana, sophomore Maddy Lawton and senior Liz Hammond would clear it away.
Blue Jay goalkeeper, one of the best freshmen in the league, Megan Davidson made two incredible saves in goal to help preserve the victory. In the 36th minute the Kohensky from Fontbonne would get a through ball and with only Davidson to beat she tried to score far post but Davidson would dive to knock the shot away and preserve the lead. In the 60th minute Davidson was tested again. She dove to her left on a shot that was again meant for the far post and again Davidson would lay out to make the save!
The Griffins would outshoot the Blue Jays 21-6. Schulte would take 3 of those shots and Halamicek would account for two with Kelsey Gordon recording the other shot. The Blue Jays would be more efficient and cash in on two of those 6 shots to get the championship victory.
The Blue Jays would place four players on the SLIAC All-Tournament Team including Lawton, Allsbury, Halamicek and the tournament MVP Schulte.
The win was a great cap to the careers of Allsbury, Schulte and Hammond who got to go out like you dream of, as champions.
