Samantha Hoerchner (Germantown/Kettle Moraine Lutheran) provided the game winning goal and the UW-Whitewater women's soccer team defeated UW-Eau Claire 2-1 in overtime in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal game Thursday at Bob Fiskum Field in Whitewater.  UW-W, 11-6 overall and the WIAC regular season co-champion, will play at UW-Stevens Point, 15-2-1 and the other co-champion, Saturday at 1:00 for the WIAC Tournament title.  It will be Whitewater's first appearance in the tournament finale.  The winner of the WIAC Tournament, not the champion, earns the league's automatic berth in the NCAA Division III championship tournament.

box score

Whitewater got off the first three shots of the game, with the third by Natalie Johnson (Roscoe, IL/Hononegah) saved by Blugold keeper Amanda Hakala.  EC tested UW-W goalie Jacqueline Piasecki (Elk Grove Village, IL/Conant) at 20:48, but Piasecki stopped the shot.  Whitewater had four of the next five shots in the contest, with a ball off the foot of Amanda Hoerchner stopped by Hakala.  Hakala also stoned Laren Nashleanas (Brookfield/East) with 1:43 left in the half, and the teams entered halftime in a scoreless tie.

Eau Claire didn't waste any time coming out of halftime.  Rachel Nerison scored the go ahead goal for EC off an assist by Kara Ryan at 45:18.  Nashleanas tested Hakala again early in the second half, but Hakala made the save.  Emily Gerber (DeForest/DeForest) also put a ball on net at 61:56, but Hakala was equal to the task again.  The Warhawks finally got one past Hakala at 63:44, with Christina Tooren (Hoffman Estates, IL/Hoffman Estates) scoring her team-leading sixteenth goal of the season, unassisted to knot the score at 1-1. 

Pamela Lisowe (New Holstein/New Holstein) tried to put UW-W on top at 73:21, but again Hakala kept the ball out of the net and the teams ending regulation at 1-1.

Just thirty-seven seconds in to the overtime period Hoerchner, positioned in front of the EC goal, took a pass from Tooren to net the game winner, her third game winning goal of the season and her seventh overall.

Sam Neely (Oregon/Oregon) picked up the win in goal for the Warhawks, coming on when UW-W starter Jacqueline Piasecki (Elk Grove Village, IL/Conant) was injured in the second minute of the second half.

Whitewater had 16 shots on goal to six for UW-EC, and the Warhawks had an edge in corner kicks, 9-4.

Three of Whitewater's last four wins have come in overtime, and UW-W has a 3-0 mark in those matches. 

UW-W will take a six game win streak in to the WIAC tourney title match Saturday.  UW-Eau Claire, ranked fifth in the National Soccer Coaches Association Division III North Region poll and 13-7-1, will await word of a possible NCAA III tournament berth.  The NCAA III championship tournament field will be announced Monday.

For additional information:  Greg Henschel, UW-W soccer coordinator