Council Bluffs, IA – Iowa Western advances to the Region XI Final after their 2-0 win over Northeast CC Wednesday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED: In the 8th minute, freshman midfielder Abby Hall sent a long, driven ball through the Hawks defense. Under pressure, freshman forward Ashley Overberg set herself up and buried the ball into the net for the first goal of the game. The Reivers continued to possess and open up opportunities, but Northeast's goalkeeper Alexis Wemhoff made several saves to keep the match at one goal. At halftime, Iowa Western celebrated the careers of seven Reiver Sophomores: Claire Groves, Alex Allgaier, Careena Alaoui, Daniela Cardona, Kate Reddish, Dani Robb, and Bruna Leiria.
At the beginning of the second half, the Reivers possession and control was a little frantic and the Hawks were able to put Iowa Western's back line (sophomore Sofia Colvin, freshman Kaylie Smith, freshman Veronica Herrera, sophomore Alex Allgaier, sophomore Kate Reddish) under a little bit of pressure. Despite the intensity and chances from set pieces, the defense limited Northeast to only one shot. By the 86th minute, the Reivers were back in control and on the attack. Sophomore midfielder Claire Groves set up freshman midfielder Laura Chavez just inside the eighteen, enough for Chavez to sail a perfect ball in to the far upper-ninety of the goal to give the Reivers some insurance for the remainder of the match. Iowa Western advances to the Region Final against Indian Hills CC after their 2-0 victory over Northeast.
NOTES & NUMBERS: Ashley Overberg scored with an assist Abby Hall in the 8th minute. Laura Chavez scored with an assist from Claire Groves in the 86th minute.
QUOTES: Head Coach Adam Sanchez
"I thought the team put in a great performance today. The effort from the group was fantastic and the energy was good throughout the match. They knew what was on the line, as evidenced of what the players put into the match," Sanchez said. "Defensively, we held them to just one shot and offensively we created many chances from different areas of the field. In the end, we came away with two great goals and we are excited to play in a District Final. We know that not every team gets to play for a championship, so it is an honor and a privilege to be playing on Saturday. We will prepare well so that we can represent Iowa Western well."
UP NEXT: The Reivers will play in the final round of the Region XI/District K Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa at 3:00PM CST on Saturday, November 3rd. For details and match updates, please follow Iowa Western Women's Soccer on Twitter @ReiverWSoccer.
