Contact: Taiah Gallisath, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, tkgallisath@noctrl.edu

Nov. 3, 2022 - The North Central College women's soccer team is advancing to the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Championship for the second-straight year after defeating the Wheaton College Thunder in Wednesday night's 1-0 semifinal match inside Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.

North Central (12-1-5, 4-0-4 CCIW) returned to the conference tournament with a vengeance after finishing as the runner-up behind Wheaton College (6-9-3, 4-3-1 CCIW) just last season. 

The Cardinals defense put up an aggressive front against the Thunder, holding them to only three shots in the first half and just two in the second. A chippy contest put the Cardinals in a penalty shot situation where Ellie Lochbaum was able to give North Central the 1-0 advantage in the 76th minute.

The Cardinals put up 20 shots throughout the match, led by Sarah Andrey and Elle Sutter with five each. Jordan Boyd recorded four saves on the night, bringing her season total to 52.

North Central's win marks Boyd's seventh shutout on the year, setting a new program record for shutouts in a single season. The victory also brought head coach, Andrew Gamarra his 53rd win at North Central, making him the program's all-time winningest coach.

North Central heads to Bloomington, Illinois on Saturday for the CCIW Championship as they battle the No. 1 seed Illinois Wesleyan University Titans for the crown. The title match is set for 3 p.m. at Neis Field.

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