GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org)--Top-seeded Westminster College scored a 2-0 shutout victory over No. 2 Franciscan University in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Women's Soccer Championship Tournament title match Saturday night at the UPMC Sports Complete in New Wilmington. 

The PAC title is the sixth in program history for Westminster (14-3-2). The Titans won three straight from 2002-04 before winning back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007. Saturday was Westminster's second-straight year hosting the league's title match. Franciscan (12-5-2) was making just its second all-team appearance in the championship tournament (spring 2021). 

As the winner of this year's championship tournament, Westminster will also receive the conference's automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III Championship. The PAC is one of 44 conferences granted automatic qualification (Pool A) to the Division III Championship. 

Selections for the 64-team Division III Championship will be announced Monday, Nov. 7 at 2 p.m. First and second round matchups are scheduled for Friday-Sunday, Nov. 11-13.
 

Saturday, November 5

PAC Championship Tournament [Title match] No. 2 Franciscan at No. 1 Westminster UPMC Sports Complex--New Wilmington, Pa.

Result: Westminster 2, Franciscan 0 Box score

Westminster struck in the seventh minute of play when sophomore Allie Augustine (Cortland, Ohio | Lakeview) scored off of an assist from senior Sophia Kaplan (Mentor, Ohio | Mentor)... Leading 1-0 at halftime, junior Sophia Galietta (Bethel Park, Pa. | Bethel Park) extended Westminster's lead to 2-0 in the 52nd minute after scoring off an assist from junior Natalie Vilcheck (Bethel Park, Pa. | Bethel Park)... First-year goalkeeper Morgan Murphy (Yardley, Pa. | Villa Joseph Marie) was named the championship tournament's Most Outstanding Player after posting a 12-save shutout Saturday... She had seven saves and stopped three attempts in the shootout during Wednesday's 1-1 draw with No. 4 Chatham... It was Murphy's league-best seventh save this season... Westminster edged Franciscan 16-15 in shots while the Barons maintained a 12-9 advantage in shots on goal... Westminster registered four corner kicks while Franciscan took three... Sophomore Rebekka Dill (Setauket, N.Y. | Ward Melville) made seven saves for Franciscan.

 

Tuesday, November 2

PAC Championship Tournament [Semifinal 1] No. 4 Chatham at No. 1 Westminster UPMC Sports Complex--New Wilmington, Pa.

Result: Chatham 1, Westminster 1 (2OT); Westminster wins in shootout 4-2  Box score

Westminster, winners of six straight, will host the championship tournament title match for the second-straight year after Wednesday's win... Junior Sophia Galietta (Bethel Park, Pa. | Bethel Park) staked Westminster to a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute after scoring off of an assist from sophomore Natalie Vilchek (West Newton, Pa. | Yough)... Senior Malia Hinton (Moon Township, Pa. | Moon) tied the match with a goal off an assist from senior Maggie Toomey (Bethel Park, Pa. | Bethel Park) in the 82nd minute... Following a pair of scoreless 10-minute overtime periods, senior Julia Redilla (Cranberry Township, Pa. | Seneca Valley), first-year Amanda Lewis (Slippery Rock, Pa. | Slippery Rock), sophomore Mackenzie Powell (Harrison City, Pa. | Penn-Trafford) and Galietta all converted in the shootout... First-year Morgan Murphy (Yardley, Pa. | Villa Joseph Marie) finished with seven saves for Westminster... Sophomore Hannah Ehrlich (Pittsburgh, Pa. | North Hills) made six saves for Chatham... Westminster held a 19-15 advantage in shots, while Chatham finished with an 8-7 edge in shots in goal... Westminster took five corner kicks while Chatham took three... Chatham, the league's two-time defending champion, had made three-straight appearances in the title match... Chatham had defeated Westminster in three-straight championship tournaments.

 

Tuesday, November 2

PAC Championship Tournament [Semifinal 2] No. 3 Grove City at No. 2 Franciscan Trinity Health System Field--Steubenville, Ohio

Result: Franciscan 4, Grove City 1 Box score

Franciscan earned a spot in the championship tournament's title match for the first time in program history with Wednesday's win... Grove City jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute when senior forward Hailey Weinert (Bel Air, Md. | Kennett, Pa.) scored an unassisted goal... Franciscan evened the match at 1-1 in the 42nd minute when sophomore Tania Davidson (Gilbert, Ariz. | Arete Preparatory Academy) scored off of an assist from junior Juliana Rubino (Ashburn, Va. | Stone Bridge)... Tied 1-1 at the half, Davidson struck for her second goal of the match in the 48th minute, scoring off an assist from senior Claire Salyer (Laporte, Ind. | Maquette Catholic)... Rubino extended Franciscan's lead to 3-1 in the 52nd minute, scoring off of assists from Salyer and junior Angela Postage (Canal Winchester, Ohio | Canal Winchester)... Sophomore Annie Winogradoff (Stormville, N.Y. | Our Lady of Lourdes) closed out the scoring with a goal in the 82nd minute, scoring off an assist from senior Bella Rubino (Ashburn, Va. | Stone Bridge)... Franciscan finished with a 21-12 advantage in shots, including a 14-5 edge in shots on goal... Franciscan registered nine corner kicks while Grove City totaled seven... Davidson owns the league lead with 20 goals scored this season... Sophomore Rebekka Dill (Setauket, N.Y. | Ward Melville) made four saves for Franciscan... Grove City sophomore Courtney Lisman (Mars, Pa. | Mars) stopped 10 shots.

 

Saturday, October 29

PAC Championship Tournament [Quarterfinal 2] No. 5 Bethany at No. 4 Chatham UPMC Graham Field--Wilkinsburg, Pa.

Result: Chatham 4, Bethany 0 Box score

Chatham will be making its seventh-straight appearance in the semifinals Wednesday... Chatham has won two-straight championship tournament titles... Senior Maggie Toomey (Bethel Park, Pa. | Bethel Park) scored the first goal in the eighth minute... It was assisted by first-year Ainsley Smith (Washington, Pa. | Bishop Canevin)... Graduate student Tiffany Michalek (Plymouth, Pa. | Wyoming Valley West) pushed the Chatham lead to 2-0 in the 17th minute, scoring off an assist from senior Emily Harvey (Cresson, Pa. | Penn Cambria)... Senior Malia Hinton (Moon Township, Pa. | Moon) gave Chatham a 3-0 lead with a goal in the 33rd minute... Harvey also assisted on the Hinton score... Graduate student Morgan Anderson (Pittsburgh, Pa. | North Allegheny) closed out the scoring with an unassisted goal in the 66th minute... She is tied with Franciscan's Tania Davidson for the league lead in goals scored this fall (18)... Chatham finished with a 26-4 edge in shots (18-3 on goal)... Chatham totaled 12 corner kicks, while Bethany had four... Chatham sophomore Hannah Ehrlich (Pittsburgh, Pa. | North Hills) made three saves... It was Chatham's third shutout this year... Bethany senior Corinne Grabow (Morgantown, W.Va. | University) had a season-high 14 saves in the loss... Saturday was Bethany's first championship tournament appearance since 2004.

 

Saturday, October 29

PAC Championship Tournament [Quarterfinal 1] No. 6 Washington & Jefferson at No. 3 Grove City Don Lyle Field--Grove City, Pa.

Result: Grove City 2, W&J 0 Box score

Grove City has reached the semifinals in all 26 years of the league's championship tournament... Grove City has won nine-straight matches... Following a scoreless first half, freshman Karly Keller (New Kensington, Pa. | Kiski) scored the first goal in the 63rd minute off of assists from junior Rachel Sullivan (Simsbury, Conn. | Simsbury) and sophomore Britta Lagerquist (Pittsburgh, Pa. | Fox Chapel)... Lagerquist netted her team-leading 10th goal of the season in the 85th minute... Grove City owned an 18-3 edge in shots (8-1 on goal)... Grove City had six corner kicks to W&J's two... Sophomore Courtney Lisman (Mars, Pa. | Mars) made one save as Grove City earned its fifth shutout of the season... Saturday was Grove City's sixth-straight victory over W&J in the championship tournament... W&J senior Gabriella Lloyd (Butler, Pa. | Butler) made six saves in the loss.