Livonia, Mich. -- An unbeaten conference record can tell one story while the standings tell another. For the Aquinas College women's soccer team, three draws left valuable points on the table and the WHAC regular season championship out of reach entering Saturday's finale at Madonna. The challenge was to finish against the conference champions with the postseason just around the corner, but two first-half goals left the Saints chasing a deficit they could not erase in a 2-0 setback. Now, the Maroon and White turn the page to the part of the season where there are no draws and no second chances.
Madonna 2, Aquinas 0
Savannah Reese gave AQ the first look at goal in the seventh minute, but her attempt was blocked. The Saints kept Madonna off the scoreboard through the opening 18 minutes before the hosts broke through at 18:52.
The afternoon became considerably more difficult at 24:32, when the Crusaders struck again to build a two-goal advantage in a span of 5:40. Julia Grzadkowska sought a quick answer two minutes later, only to have her shot blocked as well. Those two attempts accounted for AQ's first-half offense, with neither reaching starting goalkeeper Grace McCormick.
With the Saints searching for a spark, Izzy Orlandi, Lanee Lewkowski and Aubrey Phenicie provided options off the bench. The breakthrough remained elusive, however, and Aquinas entered halftime needing both a stronger response and a way back into the match.
The Saints delivered a more competitive second half, matching Madonna with three shots and putting two attempts on target. Khloe Koelling supplied the first of those chances at 57:00, forcing a save from replacement goalkeeper Addison Beil. It was a step forward for an AQ attack that had been unable to test the goalkeeper before the break.
Reese challenged Beil again at 71:42, but the Madonna keeper denied the Saints another opportunity to cut the deficit in half. Claire Fogarty answered at the other end two minutes later, making her first save to keep AQ within striking distance.
Raegan LaCross and Addyson Jacquemain remained on the field throughout the afternoon, joining Reese and Fogarty in playing all 90 minutes. Maeve Comfort, Reegyn Cady, Bella Berry, Amelia Kidd and Tia Rita Daher formed the rest of AQ's starting group as the Saints worked to settle the match after the early damage. Madeline Langlois, Ellie Lazowski and Halina Polak also contributed minutes off the bench during the second-half push.
Koelling took another chance at 83:58, but her shot carried high as the window for a comeback narrowed. Fogarty made her second save at 86:33, and Comfort sent in AQ's lone corner kick with just over two minutes remaining.
The Saints kept Madonna scoreless for the final 65-plus minutes, giving themselves time to find an answer. That answer never came, as Beil stopped both AQ shots on goal to finish the combined shutout. Aquinas closed with five shots to Madonna's seven and two attempts on target to the hosts' four, leaving the Saints with a clear lesson in the cost of playing from behind.
Aquinas closed the regular season 8-4-3 overall and 5-1-3 in the WHAC, finishing fourth with 18 points. Madonna finished 11-5-1 overall and 8-0-1 in conference play, claiming the regular season championship with 25 points. Lawrence Tech placed second with 21 points, followed by UNOH with 19. AQ's fourth-place finish secured a home WHAC Tournament quarterfinal against fifth-place Cornerstone, which finished with 12 points and a 7-7-1 overall record, including a 4-5 conference mark.
Saints Snapshots
- One conference setback. Saturday marked AQ's first WHAC loss of the season, leaving the Saints with just one defeat across nine conference matches.
- Leading the attack. Koelling and Reese each recorded two shots and one attempt on target, accounting for four of AQ's five shots.
- Steadier after the break. Aquinas matched Madonna with three second-half shots while Fogarty stopped both attempts she faced on goal.
- Going the distance. Fogarty, Reese, LaCross and Jacquemain each played all 90 minutes as the Saints worked to recover from the early deficit.
- A home-field opportunity. AQ secured the No. 4 seed and will begin its WHAC Tournament pursuit at home against Cornerstone.
Coach's Comments
Head coach Mario Zuniga-Gil acknowledged the cost of AQ's slow start while pointing to the second-half response as something the Saints must carry into the postseason.
"It's always tough to lose after a long unbeaten streak, but this will be a defining moment in our season, and how we respond to it will largely determine our postseason fate," Zuniga-Gil said. "Today we played a poor first half in which we lacked intensity and fight, and teams like Madonna will always punish you for that. I'm happy with the response from the girls in the second half, and I hope we will build on it. Time to focus on knockout soccer!"
Up Next
The regular season is complete. Now comes the opportunity to determine how much soccer the Saints have left to play.
Aquinas opens the WHAC Tournament at home against the Cornerstone Golden Eagles on Saturday, Oct. 31, with the Halloween quarterfinal anticipated for late afternoon. The kickoff time is still being determined. The match will be streamed on the AQSaints YouTube Network.
Be sure to visit AQSaints.com for live statistics and complete postgame coverage of Aquinas women's soccer and all other Saints sports.
It's a great day to be a Saint!
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