For the second time this season, William Jewell College stood in the way of Baker’s women’s soccer team advancing its season.
And for the second time, Baker defeated William Jewell, with the lastest being a 5-2 victory Thursday to advance to the semifinals of the NAIA National Championship.
“We knew Jewell was going to come out and give us a fight, and we knew it was coming, and we were just determined to beat them again,” senior Carly Dickens said.
BU got out to an early lead, with junior Alix Schiraldi scoring in the eighth minute of play. Senior Christine Janssens and Baker Orange staff member Jordan Dolbin also scored in the first half to give Baker a 3-1 halftime lead.
Dolbin and Schiraldi each netted a second goal to seal the victory for the Wildcats.
Baker defeated McKendree University 2-1 in its NAIA National Championship opening round and then Martin Methodist College 2-0 Tuesday during the round of 16.
“They are very excited to get to show the country what we’re really about,” head coach Nate Houser said. “To finally be on the national stage, and get Baker women’s soccer on the map.”
McKendree scored quickly in the first half after less than two minutes of play. Dolbin then tied the game at 1-1 with 12 minutes of play left in the first half of the match.
With approximately 10 minutes left in the match, Dolbin scored again, giving the Wildcats a 2-1 win against McKendree and a spot in the NAIA Nationals round of 16 in Decatur, Ala.
Going into the match against Martin Methodist, Houser had faith the team was on the right track to winning a national title.
“They continue to learn from each game that we play, and as long as we can keep ourselves learning and be positive, we have a chance,” Houser said.
The weather Tuesday took a turn for the worse, flooding the field where Baker and Martin Methodist were set to play. Instead of the original field, the team had to move to a side field.
“The field was just basically a mud pit,” junior Ashley Ukena said. “There was water standing on the field; mud was splashing up when you hit the ground.”
Despite the nasty weather conditions, the Wildcats came out on top with a 2-0 victory.
The match was scoreless at halftime, but the ‘Cats started the second half ready to play, and Schiraldi scored the first goal about two minutes into the half. Approximately 24 minutes into the second half, Janssens sealed the win with another goal.
“When Alix scored that first goal, it just emphasized the fact that we can beat this team,” junior Jessica Shiney said. “Then when Christine scored the second goal, it just proved again we could win.”
Baker’s next match is 2 p.m. Friday for a chance to advance to the NAIA National Championship match.
The opponent was not known at presstime.
