RIVER FALLS, Wis. — The UW-River Falls Women's Soccer team has punched its ticket into the 2024 WIAC Tournament.
The Falcons, who came into the day seventh in the conference standings, defeated UW-Whitewater at Ramer Soccer Stadium 4-0 on Saturday, Nov. 2. The victory secured UWRF as the No. 5 seed in the WIAC Tournament, marking the first time the program has qualified for the WIAC Tournament since the 2019 season.
In the first half, UW-River Falls came out looking to attack and controlled the tempo early in the game. Madyson Shew fired off a shot on goal just over 30 seconds into the match, as the Falcons built up a 3-1 advantage in shots on goal through the first 11 minutes. In the 12th minute, Ellie Ketcher put the first goal on the board as she weaved past a defender and put the ball in the bottom left corner of the net. Shew and Lauren Best assisted on the goal.
The Falcons wasted no time doubling their lead, as Shew got into the scoring action with a goal of her own in the 15th minute. Gabby Kempf placed a corner kick perfectly in front of the goal, where Shew headed the ball into the back of the net. UWRF would hold the 2-0 lead into the halftime break, looking to clinch a postseason berth in the remaining 45 minutes.
UWRF did just that, adding two more second-half goals that put the exclamation point on the victory, behind 16 shots and 11 shots on goal in the second half. The Falcons continued to push the tempo and never let off the gas, as a victory over the Warhawks would secure a spot in the WIAC Tournament.
In the 80th minute, Valerie Leonard fired a shot from the corner that bent into the top middle of the goal, extending the Falcons' lead to 3-0. Emery Brigler added UWRF's final goal of the day, in the 89th minute, a shot assisted by Shew that secured an emphatic 4-0 win.
In goal, Grace Zellmer recorded 10 saves and tallied her sixth shutout of the season. Zellmer has now reached 102 saves this season, making her the first UWRF goalkeeper to eclipse 100 saves in a season since 2007.
Shew, Bigler, and Ketcher led the Falcons with four shots each, while Bigler and Ketcher each had three shots on goal. UWRF held a 15-10 advantage in shots on goal and a 26-23 advantage in total shots.
With UW-Oshkosh losing today to UW-Platteville and UW-River Falls defeating UW-Whitewater, the Falcons have clinched the fifth seed in the WIAC Tournament. UW-Whitewater finished as the sixth seed.
Up next, UWRF will travel to face UW-Stevens Point (#4 seed) in the first round of the WIAC Tournament on Nov. 5. The match is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m.
