Eau Claire, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse soccer team completed its regular season road schedule with a 3-0 victory at UW-Eau Claire Saturday afternoon at Simpson Field. The Eagles, receiving votes on the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III Poll, improve to 12-3-2 overall and 5-0-1 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). The Blugolds drop to 6-7-4 overall and 2-1-3 in the conference.
With the win, UWL clinches at least a share of the WIAC regular season title with 16 points. UW-Stevens Point is in second-place with 10 points. The Pointers play at UW-Platteville Saturday at 6 p.m. UWL hosts UW-Stevens Point in the regular season finale on Saturday, November 2.Â
It is UWL's seventh (1996, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024) regular season league title, including third straight under head coach
Jason Murphy. The Eagles will host a WIAC Tournament Semifinal on Thursday, November 7. Â
Jillian Sawadski recorded her thirdÂ
game-winning goal of the season.
UWL, 6-0-2 in its last eight games, is ranked third in Region IX in the United Soccer Coaches. The Eagles extended their WIAC unbeaten streak to 21 (20-0-1) with Saturday's victory.
The Eagles led 2-0 at halftime on Saturday.
Jillian Sawadski got the scoring started at 14:47 with an assist from
Alexis McMahon for a 1-0 lead. UWL made it 2-0 at 23:41 with a goal from
Amaya Thesing off a Chelse Gale assist.Â
UWL totaled eight shots and one corner kick in the first half while UW-Eau Claire recorded two shots and two corner kicks.Â
Aubree Caya extended the lead to 3-0 at 62:46 on Gale's second assist of the game.Â
UWL finished with 18 shots, including 11 on goal. Sawadski, Thesing, Gale and
Ellie Arndt led the Eagles with three shots each. All three of Sawadski's shots came on goal. Thesing and Caya each had two shots on goal. The Eagles totaled one corner kick.Â
Erelyn Apel earned the shutout in goal, registering three saves.
UW-Eau Claire had seven shots with three on goal. Kennedy Boll recorded eight saves for the Blugolds.Â
UWL returns to action Tuesday, October 29 hosting Concordia University Wisconsin at 4 p.m.Â