ORANGE BEACH, Ala. Top-seeded Lindsey Wilson women soccer's quest to win back-to-back national titles ended today with a 3-0 loss to No. 6-seeded Spring Arbor (Mich.) in the NAIA championship match at the Orange Beach Sportsplex.
The Blue Raiders close their season at 20-2-2.
Spring Arbor (23-2-1) caps the program's first national title without surrendering a goal in five national tournament games.
Lindsey Wilson opened the match strong. The Blue Raiders forced a corner kick and Lyana Perez challenged Spring Arbor goalkeeper Sarah Yancer in the ninth minute only to be turned away by the tournament's most outstanding defensive player.
The shot on goal would be the only shot on target during the game for the Blue Raiders -- who had matched the single-tournament team record for goals (17) in the semifinals.
Spring Arbor turned the tables on the Blue Raiders in the 13th minute with the first of two goals in less than 90 seconds.
Aubrey Schierbeek rocketed a shot from the top of the penalty box that deflected off a Lindsey Wilson defender into the right side of the goal to give Spring Arbor the 1-0. Eighty-nine seconds later, Bethany Balcer -- who assisted the first goal -- headed in the Cougars' second goal from just in front of the goal line off Sarah Klunder's corner kick.
The Cougars held the 2-0 advantage at the break.
Lindsey Wilson had a chance to cut the deficit in half early in the second half.
Perez served a ball from the right flank into the six-yard box where Amanda Kander flicked it with her heel. The shot, however, never reached its target as Rachel DeLancey blocked it away to preserve the 2-0 lead in the 51st minute.
Klunder and Balcer connected again in the 54th minute off another corner kick for a 3-0 lead and the eventual win.
Spring Arbor finished the match out-shooting the Blue Raiders 11-6, including 6-1 in shots on goal. Lindsey Wilson goalkeeper Johanna Henriksson ended with three saves while Yancer collected one in the shutout.
Kander, Perez, Yvonne Ploeg and Carola Schneider earned all-tournament team honors from Lindsey Wilson. Ploeg was named the tournament's most outstanding offensive player after scoring a tournament-high six goals in five tournament games.
2015 NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship – All-Tournament Team
Name | Institution | Pos. | Year |
Sarah Yancer | Spring Arbor (Mich.) | GK | Fr. |
Carola Schneider | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | D | Jr. |
Liz Enna | Benedictine (Kan.) | D | Sr. |
April Stewart | William Carey (Miss.) | D | Fr. |
Kristina Sobel | Spring Arbor (Mich.) | D | Sr. |
Klara Cahynova | Northwestern Ohio | MF | So. |
Amanda Kander | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | MF | So. |
Rosie McShane | Benedictine (Kan.) | MF | So. |
Bethany Balcer | Spring Arbor (Mich.) | MF | Fr. |
Corrie Good | Spring Arbor (Mich.) | F | Jr. |
Lyana Perez | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | F | Jr. |
Ashley Chandler | Benedictine (Kan.) | F | Sr. |
Yvonne Ploeg | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | F | Fr. |
Select Sport America-NAIA Championship Most Valuable Player
Bethany Balcer, Spring Arbor (Mich.)
Select Sport America-NAIA Championship Outstanding Offensive Player
Yvonne Ploeg, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
Select Sport America-NAIA Championship Outstanding Defensive Player
Sarah Yancer, Spring Arbor (Mich.)
Champions of Character Select Sport America-NAIA Scholarship Recipient
Kacey McConagha, Embry-Riddle (Ariz.)
