Point Loma Nazarene captured the NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer national championship in Matthews, N.C. Saturday, with a 1-0 win over Washburn University.
Better yet, PLNU posted a milestone achievement – its first NCAA title in any sport.
Coach Kristi Kiely tried to instill this thought into her team’s heads before the match – “Hey, you’re playing a soccer game with your friends. We’re just trying to win another game.”
“And now it’s here and it’s remarkable,” she said. “I’m very proud of these ladies.”
Emma Thrapp’s header in the 53rd minute off a Grace Nelson corner kick proved to be the difference on the way to the Sea Lions kept their fifth-straight postseason shutou
Julia Pinnell made three saves in goal to keep Washburn scoreless. The sophomore goalkeeper did not allow a goal in her last 915 minutes and 35 seconds played this season.
The Sea Lions, a No. 4 seed, outshot the Ichabods, out of Topeka, Kan., 10-3 in the first half and nearly broke the scoreless deadlock more than once. Nicki Friedman forced a diving save and Bethany Arabe nearly beat the goalkeeper at the near post after slipping past a couple of defenders.
Pinnell, just as she did in Thursday’s 3-0 semifinal victory over top-seed Florida Tech, made a huge one-on-one save in the first half to keep Washburn (21-4-1), seeded third, from scoring.
In the second half, it didn’t take long for PLNU to take the lead, as Thrapp, often the team’s corner kick taker, this time left the honors to Nelson. She lofted a perfect cross to the back post for Thrapp, a second team All-American, to score.
“Grace just kind of placed it beautifully on my head,” Thrapp said.
Her fifth game-winning goal of the season was more than enough, as PLNU lowered its goals against average to 0.52 with a 13th shutout on the year. The Sea Lions also held Washburn to just eight shots over 90 minutes.
Thrapp was named the NCAA Championships Most Valuable Player. She was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Pinnell, Bethany Arabe and Alana Diaz.
Point Loma (17-3-1) set a new program record for most wins in a single season in its NCAA era, while finishing the year on an 11-game winning streak, tied for longest in program history.
