Columbia, Mo. – Tonight the seventh ranked Columbia College women's soccer team was back in action when they played host to the William Woods (Mo.) University Owls in the AMC Championship Final. The Cougars, who were defeated by the Owls 2-1 in their only loss of the season, were able to get their revenge tonight as they beat William Woods by a final score of 3-0 to improve to 20-1 on the season and solidify their third straight AMC Championship title.
Columbia College came out in the first half of the game and controlled the possession early. They created several scoring opportunities in the first ten minutes of the contest posting four shots including one shot on target. William Woods was able to settle in as the half progressed and had a couple opportunities of their own but could not capitalize as the score remained 0-0 throughout the remainder of the period. Columbia College outshot the Owls 13-1 in the first half.
The Cougars came out in the second half and were able to get on the board less than a minute into the period. Molly Klein (16) had the goal for Columbia as she received the ball on the left sideline and beat several defenders before cutting it back to the top of the box and ripping a shot into the top right corner of the net to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead. Klein (17) was back at it again just three minutes later when she received the ball at the top of the box from Kelsey Mirts before turning and placing her shot in the bottom left corner to give Columbia a 2-0 lead with 41 minutes remaining in the game. Kelsey Mirts (18) added one more goal for the Cougars with less than a minute left to play in the game solidifying Columbia's third straight, and fourth overall, AMC Championship Title.
Madison Boyken was in goal for Columbia as the junior made one save in her fifth solo shutout of the season.
Following the conclusion of the game, the American Midwest Conference announced the 2017 Women's Soccer All-Conference Team. For their efforts on the field this season, Madison Boyken, Laurie Frew, Kelsey Mirts, Jordan Poire, Kaitlyn Tambke, and Sarah Taylor were all recognized as First Team All-AMC selections. In addition, the American Midwest Conference also announced the superlative awards for the 2017 season with Abigail Meyer earning Freshman of the Year honors and Laurie Frew earning her second AMC Player of the Year Award.
The Cougars have solidified a spot in the NAIA Women's Soccer Championship Opening Round to be played on Saturday, November 18th. They will find out who and where they will play on Monday, November 13th when the NAIA announces the tournament brackets at 11 a.m.
