Oct. 30, 2004

[Box Score]

BRIGHTON, MI. - The Madonna University women’s soccer team advanced to the WHAC Finals with a 6-1 victory Saturday over Aquinas in front of 200 fans at Brighton High School in Brighton, Michigan.

It took Madonna all of eight minutes to get used to their new surroundings as Teresa Henderson beat Aquinas keeper Erica DeLongpre to the right side for the games first goal.

Henderson had a shot at her second goal ten minutes later on a breakaway but was just wide on her shot that would have given MU a two-goal advantage.

Kelly Japowicz would be the one to find the second goal with 17 minutes to play in the first half, off a Loren Tacconelli assist left-footed to beat the keeper high and give the Crusaders a 2-0 lead.

Less than a minute later Japowicz had a break-away opportunity that was broken up at the last moment by the Aquinas defender trailing on the play.

In the second half, Madonna got back on the board with a great one-touch goal by Japowicz, her second of the game on a perfect cross from Liz Slebodnik.

Laurie Strnad was next to join the goal parade notching her third of the season off another Slebodnik assist.

Aquinas got on the board with a goal by Kalee Schwartz with 24 minutes to play to cut the deficit to four at 5-1.  Just two minutes later, however, Madonna regained their five-goal advantage on Lacey Catarino’s first goal of the season from Teresa Henderson taking a 6-1 lead.

That is the way the game would end as the Crusaders advance to the WHAC championship game Tuesday night against #2 seed Cornerstone University, 3-0 winners over Siena Heights in the other WHAC semi-final Saturday. 

That game will again be played at Brighton High School under the lights at 7:00 pm.