Wolverines advance to WAC Championship behind two goals from Stubbs
Brad Curnow | Sports Writer | @jojocornrow
BAKERSFIELD, Calif.—The Utah Valley University women’s soccer team downed the University of Missouri-Kansas City in the WAC Tournament semifinals behind two second half goals by Kali Stubbs Friday night.
UVU improved to 13-6-1 on the season and will play Seattle University in the WAC Championship at 1 pm MT on Sunday in Bakersfield. The winner of Sunday’s match will be awarded an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
In a fast-paced match from start to finish, UVU outplayed UMKC and dominated the box score. The Wolverines managed 20 shots during the match, 12 on goal, to the Roos’ 10 total shots.
“I love the way that our team took the field tonight,” UVU head coach Brent Anderson said in a statement to wolverinegreen.com. “I thought they created a lot of opportunities off the pressure they were putting on UMKC. I loved the second half.”
After playing through a scoreless first half, Kali Stubbs broke the tie with her fifth goal of the season in the 50th minute. Stubbs made good on a pass from Breanna Carter by putting the ball off the post into the back of net.
Stubbs would put the game out of reach in the 72nd minute with a hooking shot to the far post from the left side of the box.
“We knew UMKC would push and the team responded pretty well,” Anderson said in a statement to wolverinegreen.com. “They handled the pressure and weathered the storm and then broke out and got a couple of great goals from Kali Stubbs.”
UVU goalkeeper, and WAC Defensive Player of the Year, Jessica Duffin led the defensive effort and tallied her seventh clean sheet of the season with seven saves.
The Wolverines go into the match against Seattle U Sunday looking for their first NCAA Tournament bid in program history.
