Treynor, IA – No. 9 Indian Hills Women's Soccer fell just short of its ultimate goal to claim the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Women's Soccer Region XI title, falling 4-3 to Iowa Western Community College on Saturday.
The Warriors wrap up the regular season with an 18-2-0 overall record and will now wait to receive an at-large berth to the NJCAA DI Women's Soccer National Tournament in Daytona Beach, FL. The national tournament allows for four at-large berths along with the eight district champions to complete the 12-team field. The at-large selection committee will announce its at-large selections on Sunday, Nov. 7, per the NJCAA.
Saturday's match lived up to the hype as one of the top NJCAA matches of the year as both sides traded blows back and forth. The Reivers, ranked No. 5 in the latest national rankings, struck first against the No. 9 Warriors just four minutes into the match.
Indian Hills wasted no time with a response as Bailey Wiemann (Burlington, IA/Burlington) received a pass from Georgie Lewis (Borwal, Australia/Bowral) just over a minute later to notch the score at one-all.
Sophomore Risa Ogasawara (Yokohama, Japan/Hinomoto) stunned the crowd with a shot from 35-yards out in the 21st minute to push the Warriors on top, 2-1. Indian Hills maintained its advantage for the remainder of the half to take a 2-1 lead into the locker room.
Clinging to the lead, the Warriors let up a goal in the 54th minute as Iowa Western struck off a rebound to even the match at two apiece. Looking for an answer, the Warriors went to its leading scorer in Wiemann as the sophomore netted a goal less than four minutes later after receiving a long through ball from Seira Uko (Toba City, Japan/Jumonji) to regain the lead.
The Reiver offense went back into attack mode and eventually scored in the 67th minute to tie the match at 3-3. The Warrior defense felt the pressure from the Reivers over the next 20 minutes, a threat that eventually led to a goal from Iowa Western in the 87th minute. A valiant effort from the Warriors in the closing minutes was not enough as Iowa Western claimed its sixth consecutive Region XI championship.
Three Warriors were recognized on the NJCAA Region XI All-Tournament Team for their play throughout the postseason. Wiemann, Ogasawara, and defender Abbie Bailey (Redditch, England, Arrowvale) were honored for their efforts in the region playoffs.
To keep up-to-date with the women's soccer at-large selections, visit www.indianhillsathletics.com, GoHillsTV, and follow Indian Hills on social media: @IHCCAthletics | @IHCCSoccerWomen | Indian Hills Facebook | Indian Hills Instagram
