MATTHEWS, N.C. — The top-seeded, 18th-ranked Catawba College women's soccer team will play for a South Atlantic Conference Tournament title after shutting out Wingate, 2-0, in the semifinal round on Friday at the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex at Matthews.
Catawba (13-4-2) earned its second consecutive 2-nil victory behind goals from Cadence Setzer and Ali Skinner. Setzer was credited with her league-leading 12th assist of the year as Bree Ehmer and Reese Robinson also tallied dimes. Fronting the attack in shots was Setzer with five as she and Skinner both scored on their lone shots on goal. Robinson, Kaitlyn Johnson, Riley Alexander and Brynn Calendine roamed the field for a full 90 minutes. Lauren Zitt also went wire to wire in a flawless three-save effort to collect her seventh clean sheet of the year.
The blue and white had the advantage in shots at 11-8, but the Bulldogs (7-7-5) were even with Catawba in shots on goal with three apiece. Corner kicks showed a wide margin that more accurately displayed the Catawba Indians' control as they earned 12 opportunities, giving up just two. Wingate had three more free kicks with offside whistles at 1-1 and Catawba being called for more fouls at 16-13.
The Catawba Indians worked two corner kicks in the opening 12 minutes, the second leading to Calendine logging the evening's first shot. Wingate offered a shot of their own moments later that Zitt snatched away. A long drive into Catawba's attacking zone saw Setzer initiate a give-and-go with Ehmer at the 18, drawing first blood in the 17th minute when she deposited the SAC Offensive Player of the Year's pass into paydirt.
Ehmer had a pair of shots and WU's Tilde Wahrenberg chipped in one midway through the stanza, all three missing the frame. Each side registered a corner kick chance and an offside infraction in a quiet end to the half.
Wingate exited the intermission with a purpose, sending one shot wide and another on-goal as Zitt fended it off. The Catawba Indians allowed the Bulldogs to find shooting space but pushed a pair wide while they continued a mission to find insurance. Back-to-back corner kicks fizzled out, but the next one had promise as Skinner sliced through a flurry in the box with a firm boot into the twine to make it a 2-0 Catawba lead with 13 minutes to play.
Zitt halted a scoring bid by Katie Ensalaco in the 83rd minute as WU had a corner kick chance moments later, but the resulting shot was sent high. A merciless Catawba offense peppered three shots in the final 91 seconds — one by Kennedy McGuire and two by Setzer — to lock up a SAC Tournament title match berth.
The Catawba Indians will square off against second-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne for the SAC Tournament crown; the Bears roared late in a 3-1 semifinal win over Carson-Newman in Friday's nightcap.
Both Catawba soccer programs have advanced to Championship Sunday (Nov. 8) at the Sportsplex at Matthews. The men's match kicks off the day at 1 p.m., followed by the women's game at 4 p.m.
