University of Washington
Rider (1st Round)
Huskies Beat Rider To Advance In NCAA Tournament
November 15, 2014 | Women's Soccer
SEATTLE - UW women's soccer beat Rider 1-0 behind McKenzie Karas' 16th-minute goal, her first of the season, as the Huskies won their first-round game in the NCAA Tournament Friday night at Husky Soccer Field.
"I thought our team played well tonight," UW head coach Lesle Gallimore said. "We didn't give them that many opportunities. Megan Kufeld played great in goal, our back line played great and we got the shutout."
The win gives the Huskies 13 wins in 2014, their most since 2008. The victory was also their first in the NCAA Tournament since 2010 when the Huskies advanced to the Elite Eight.
Karas, a center back, gave the Huskies the lead with her early goal, which came off a corner kick by Kate Bennett. Bennett found Shannon Simon near the endline who fired a cross to the far side of the goal. Karas was there to head the ball back across the goal and over the Rider goalkeeper to give the Huskies the lead.
Karas and the rest of the back line held the Rider offense in check throughout the remainder of the game, as the Huskies outshot the Broncs 21-3. Kufeld made two saves and credited her back line in preserving the shutout, her eighth of the season.
"We are four really great individual defenders. When you add in good organization, it really limits the amount of chances that I have to save," Kufeld said. "That's always great as a goalkeeper."
Rider ends its season with a 12-6-3 record after its first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Broncs caught fire after finishing fourth in the MAAC during the regular season and won the MAAC tournament to get an automatic bid into the tournament.
"We knew we were playing a good oppenent," Rider head coach Drayson Hounsome said. "I'm really proud of how our team did. We battled a lot of injuries, but that adversity really created a spirit amongst the team that really pushed them and fueled them through our tournament. It's always disappointing when your season ends, but I think we gave ourselves a good showing."
UW will continue its run in the NCAA Tournament next weekend as it travels to Stanford to play the winner the Kansas vs. Missouri match that will take place on Sunday.
