(ADA, Ohio) -- Capital University’s women’s soccer team will make a second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament following its 3-1 victory over Ohio Northern University in the finals of the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Saturday in Ada, Ohio.
The Crusaders clinched the OAC’s automatic bid for the fourth time in school history - they also won the tournament in 1998 and 1999 - and they will find out Monday when and where they will play in the NCAA tournament.
Capital entered as the number two seed and knocked off third-seed Otterbein College 2-1 on Wednesday to reach the championship. Against top-seed Ohio Northern, the Crusaders took a 1-0 lead in the first half, as freshman Lauren Bartsch (Milford/Milford) converted a corner kick from freshman Chelsea Caldwell (Dublin/Dublin Jerome).
In the opening minutes of the second half, sophomore Natasha Ballard (Reynoldsburg/Reynoldsburg) set up fellow sophomore Katie Robinson (Grove City/Bishop Ready) to put the Crusaders ahead 2-0. The Polar Bears responded with a goal of their own in the 57th minutes, but Ballard and Robinson connected once again for Robinson’s second goal of the game and team-best 11th of the season to put Capital ahead 3-1.
Sophomore Sherry Lyle (Columbus/Westerville North) made nine saves in goal to earn her fifth win of the season as Capital improved to 14-5-1 overall.
#2 Capital 3, #1 Ohio Northern 1
CAP: Bartsch (Caldwell), 31:43
CAP: Robinson (Ballard), 48:41
ONU: Stapp (Sanders), 57:04
CAP: Robinson (Ballard), 66:06
Shots: Capital 10, Ohio Northern 28
Saves: Capital 9 (Lyle), Ohio Northern 4 (Krieger)
Records: Capital (14-5-1), Ohio Northern (12-5-2)