ANGOLA, Ind. – Sophomore Bella Mabry set up three very different goals in the first half, as the Trine University women's soccer team cruised to a 3-0 victory over visiting Hope College, advancing to the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Tournament final. The result is the program's first win against Hope, the last MIAA institution to fall to the Thunder since joining the conference in 2004.
"I'm just really happy with the effort the girls played with tonight," said head coach Gary Boughton, "They were disciplined to the game plan, despite it being a bit different from the norm for us, and we defender really well."
After a midfield throw in for the Flying Dutch ended up in Thunder possession a pass up the home side of the field gave sophomore Teresa Ashbrook a chance at a goal, that she turned into a corner kick opportunity for the team. Mabry took the attempt and put the ball just inside the 18-yard box. Senior Olivia Butterworth was able to get the side of her head on the ball and fire it toward the net. The ball bounced off of a Hope defender's torso and into the back of the goal to give the team a 1-0 lead just under ten minutes into the contest.
15 minutes later, Mabry intercepted a pass in the offensive zone and moved the ball just into the penalty area before passing it to her right. Junior Taylor Noll was waiting for the pass having just entered the game as a fresh set of legs for the team's attack. She fired a shot across the front of the net and into the far corner. The goal, just her second of the season, gave the team a 2-0 lead.
The final goal of the period came in the 39th minute. Driving with the ball toward the penalty area Mabry was tripped by the Flying Dutch defense giving the team a free kick well within range of the goal. Freshman Francesca Fronczak took the attempt and lobbed the ball over the defensive line and into the left side of the net, out of the reach of the diving keeper. The goal, her first of the season, gave the team a commanding 3-0 lead going into the intermission.
"Watching film, we saw them shift to a new formation one other time this season and down at the half I thought they might try it again," commented Boughton, "They did so we had to adjust to something completely new and the team did a great job adjusting on the fly."
Through the entirety of the second half the Thunder played stifling defense. Despite allowing Hope to make five ten shots in the half, none of them were real threats to score. The back line did a great job making them shoot from out of position, whether from outside the 18-yard box or through traffic.
The shots that did find their way on goal were easily smothered by sophomore Sophie Aschemeier who finished the game with six saves.
The team improves to 11-4-3 following the victory. They advance to the championship game of the 2022 MIAA Tournament, traveling to face top-seeded Calvin University. The contest is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 5.