The #12 Aquinas women's soccer team, the #1 seed in the WHAC Tournament, upended #3 seed UNOH on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 13), at the AQ Athletic Field to win the WHAC Tournament Championship. The 1-0 overtime victory claimed the third WHAC Tournament Championship in program history for the Saints and it is the first time since 2007 that the women's soccer team has won the regular season title and the tournament championship in the same season.
Aquinas now has a record of 19-1-1 on the season, which is now the most single season wins in program history after surpassing the 2019 team finished with 18 wins.
After shoveling the wet snow off the turf to make the field playable, the first half moved very fast with both teams having multiple opportunities to score a goal. In the first 45 minutes, the Saints had 14 shots at scoring a goal with four of them being saved by the Racers goalkeeper. AQ was denied one other time right in front of the net as an UNOH defender stuck their leg out at the last possible second to kick the ball away and keep the score tied 0-0 in the 22nd minute. The Racers tested Aquinas goalkeeper
Tairyn Webb as well by making her come off her line multiple times to stop potential scoring opportunities from occurring towards the top of the box.
As the second half began still tied at 0-0, the cloud coverage came over the field causing the temperature to go down as well as the pace of play. Things are got a little chippy in the second 45 minutes of the game as 14 fouls were called and three yellow cards were issued. Aquinas was only able to get two shots on net, but both goalkeepers turned in another scoreless half to push the game into overtime.
It did not take long for the Saints to attack and be more aggressive in the first overtime period with the tournament trophy on the line. AQ gained a free kick five yards outside of the box after an UNOH foul and took full advantage of the situation. The original shot off the free kick from
Ariana Garcia was deflected by a Racer defender and bounced towards the goal.
Laia Cunill was able to get a foot on the bouncing ball, but her shot attempt was denied by the goalkeeper. The ball then found its way towards the right post were
Ingrid Hentemann was standing as she scored the golden goal in the wide open net with the goalkeeper laying on the ground from the original save. The goal came in the 94th minute and it was Hentemann's third goal scored in her freshman campaign to win the WHAC Tournament Championship 1-0.
Webb (15-1-0) had the busiest day since the Marian game on Sept. 18 as UNOH was putting some pressure on the AQ back line. She finished with four saves and some key punch outs from corner kicks in her fourth shutout this season, the second that has come against the Racers. Martina Galloni made seven saves in the loss for UNOH after giving up the one goal.
Aquinas took 25 total shots with nine being on net as UNOH ended with eight total shots and four on frame. AQ attempted seven corner kicks compared to the Racers' three, while UNOH doubled up the foul count on the Saints by an 18-9 margin.
After already receiving an automatic qualifying bid from winning the regular season title to go to the NAIA National Tournament, Aquinas will see where it will be playing on the National Championship Selection Show. That will take place on Monday (Nov. 15) with the show beginning at 12:00 PM. To watch live, you can visit the Play NAIA Facebook page.
