2nd Half Surge Sends Iowa Western Through to the Semi-Finals

2nd Half Surge Sends Iowa Western Through to the Semi-Finals

WICHITA, Kan. - Iowa Western Women's Soccer scored three goals in the final 37 minutes to send the top-ranked Reivers on to the semi-finals of the 2023 NJCAA D1 Women's Soccer National Tournament over the 8th-seeded Hill College Rebels, 3-0.

Deadlocked through the first 60 minutes of play, Iowa Western (16-0-0) finally broke through when Midfielder and team captain Marie Quentel sent a through-ball into the box and Forward Oruha Hayashi struck it on the half-volley into the side-netting as two Hill defenders closed in on her.

20 minutes later, the team used precision combination passing; completing eight in a row, weaving the ball around the Rebel defense, ending with sophomore Foward Marta Llopis bending it home into the top-corner.

The Reivers put the game away in the 86th minute with Hayashi netting her 2nd goal of the game and 4th of the tournament.

Iowa Western Goalkeeper Bella Washington came up big as well, saving all seven shots on goal, including four from Hill College's top scorer, Davia Richards, who had netted 23 goals in 15 games this season for the Rebels.

The Reivers will now face the lowest remaining seeded team to come out of pool play on Thursday morning at 10:00 am from Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita.

Follow @reiverwsoccer on social media for scheduling updates.