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QUINCY, Ill. – Quincy University has successfully defended its Great Lakes Valley Conference Women’s Soccer Championship, following a 2-1 victory over the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Sunday at Legends Stadium in Quincy, Ill. With the win, the Lady Hawks earn the GLVC’s automatic berth to the 2013 NCAA Division II Championship.
Participating in its fifth GLVC Championship title game and third straight, top-seeded Quincy (17-0-4) earned both its second-consecutive and second-ever GLVC Championship on its home field. Third-seeded UW-Parkside (13-4-3) was denied its fifth GLVC title in its sixth finals appearance.
The Lady Hawks took advantage early in the game as Taylor Wakeland scored her second goal of the season off an assist from Kayla Nurnberger just at the 9:39 mark. Nurnberger played the ball into the right box where Wakeland found the back of the net at the right post.
Quincy doubled its lead at the 32:31 mark in first half when Ashley Burton netted her ninth goal of the year on an assist from Kristine Vogt, who started the scoring play off a free kick. Burton found herself in the right place to control the rebound and knock it past a diving UW-Parkside goalkeeper Mallory Geurts.
Similar to their 3-2 regular-season loss to Quincy and their 2-1 overtime stunner over Truman State in Friday’s tournament semifinals, the Rangers stormed back in the second half and cut the deficit in half at the 75:12 mark when Jasmine Espino assisted Emily Konior on her seventh goal of the season.
Jodi Chapie, the GLVC Defensive Player of the Year, made five saves for the Lady Hawks in the winning effort, while coming out of the box a handful of times to stifle a Rangers’ attack. Geurts stopped four shots in the loss.