The Baker University women’s soccer team advanced to the Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship Saturday after defeating No. 5 seed Avila University 2-1 Thursday at Liston Stadium.

The Wildcats received a bye for the first game of the tournament and entered the matchup against Avila as the No. 1 overall seed.

Not even 10 minutes into the first half senior Alix Schiraldi put the Wildcats on the scoreboard with a goal assisted by senior Ashley Ukena.

“I was really surprised, but it was a great feeling,” Schiraldi said. “There were a lot of emotions running on this game, so it kind of elevated me up higher.”

Senior Skylar Baker assisted senior Kylie White to another goal with 8:50 left in the first half making the halftime score 2-0.

“Kylie White is a great example of how deep the team is and what they’re capable of,” head coach Nate Houser said.

With less than seven minutes left in the game, senior Jessica Shiney was injured and stepped off the field for the rest of the game.

“Shiney is super resilient. Last year I didn’t think she was even going to walk after each of the playoff games but she managed to get all the way to the final four,” Houser said.

Avila scored with 3:37 left in the game, but the Eagles were unable to make a full comeback.

“I’m pretty proud of all the girls, especially the freshmen. I thought they might be a little nervous coming into their first playoff game but honestly they really stepped it up and they made a huge impact for us,” Schiraldi said.

Freshman Ashley Mauck said the upperclassmen on the team are encouraging and the team is ready to play in the championship Saturday.

“It’s a lot of pressure, but it is something that I really like to be a part of,” Mauck said.

Graceland University defeated Benedictine College and will take on the Wildcats Saturday for the chance to move on to the NAIA National Tournament.

Baker defeated Graceland 3-2 on Oct. 8 in Baldwin City, and plans to repeat the win Saturday at Liston Stadium.

“We’re coming for Graceland for sure,” Schiraldi said.

Houser is grateful for the fans who have shown up to the games and said he hopes they come out for one more game at Liston Stadium.

“As a player there’s nothing that feels better than having a crowd behind you,” Houser said.