FENTON, Mo. - Webster University Women's Soccer continued its dominance of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference here Saturday afternoon at World Wide Technology Soccer Park as the Gorloks posted a 3-0 shutout win over Fontbonne on Senior Day to take home its seventh consecutive SLIAC regular season title and 14th title overall in the program's 20-year history.
The seven consecutive regular season SLIAC titles is the longest streak in league history as Principia College won six consecutive regular season titles from 2007-12. Along with earning the regular season title, the Gorloks also secured the No. 1 seed in next week's SLIAC Tournament and will host a first round tournament match on Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 6 p.m. against No. 4 seed Greenville University.
Prior to Saturday's match with Fontbonne, Webster honored its four-member senior class in a pre-match ceremony on the field. The four seniors this season for the Gorloks are forward
Nicole Bascio (Wentzville, Mo./Timberland), goalkeeper
Alisa Coralic (St. Louis, Mo./Mehlville), midfielder
Carolyn Ries (St. Louis, Mo./Lindbergh) and defender
Jillian Zimpfer (St. Charles, Mo./St. Charles).
With Saturday's shutout win, Webster improved to 16-2-1 overall and finished 9-0-0 in league play, while Fontbonne fell to 11-6-1 overall and 8-1-0 in the league. Both teams entered Saturday's match undefeated in league play.
Webster has now posted a perfect conference record 10 times in 20 years in the league, including going 9-0 in the SLIAC the past three seasons as the Gorloks have now won 29 consecutive league matches dating to the 2015 season when Spalding picked up a 2-1 overtime win in Louisville, Ky., on Oct. 21, 2015.
The Gorloks got the scoring started on Saturday against the Griffins in the ninth minute as Bascio took a pass from junior midfielder
Savannah Page (Sandy, Utah/Sandy) from a step inside the box and connected from 17 yards out for her 15th goal of the season.
Sophomore forward
Joi Wilson (Tracy, Calif./Tracy) made it 2-0 in Webster's favor in the 40th minute as she took a pass to the middle from junior forward
Melissa Kasper (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) and scored from three yards out. The assist by Kasper was her team leading and single season school record tying 18th of the season. Kasper scored at least one point in all nine of Webster's league matches this season as she tallied 12 goals and 14 assists in SLIAC play.
With her 18th assist, Kasper ties the school's single mark for assists as she is tied with Becki Wideman, who also had 18 assists in 2000.
Wilson completed the scoring in the 88th minute as she took a pass from sophomore defender
Kaleigh Finney (Concord, Calif./Northgate) and connected from 12 yards out for her ninth goal of the season. It was Wilson's third two goal game of the season.
For the match, Webster outshot the Grifffins, 24-9 and held a 15-8 edge in shots on goal.
The shutout was the 11th this season for the Gorloks, including the seventh shutout in SLIAC play. In nine league matches, Webster allowed just two goals, both of which came on penalty kicks. On the season, Webster has allowed just 14 goals in 19 matches.
Ries, Page and junior midfielder
Payton Williams (St. Louis, Mo./Fort Zumwalt East) each had four shots and those three combined for seven shots on goal. In addition to Ries, Page and Williams, Wilson and junior midfielder
Olivia Osterhage (Eureka, Mo./Eureka) each had three shots in the win.
Fontbonne's Caroline Neal had three shots and three shots on goal in the loss. The only other Griffin to record multiple shots was Daniele Caruso, who finished with two shots and two shots on goal.
Coralic (14-2-1) earned the win in net for the Gorloks as she recorded eight saves and didn't allow goal.
Makayla Hussong (5-4-1) took the loss in net for Fontbonne as along with allowing three goals, she had 12 saves in 90 minutes of action.
The Gorloks will now turn their attention to the postseason as they will host Greenville (13-5-1 overall, 6-2-1 SLIAC) at 6 p.m. at World Wide Technology Soccer Park on Wednesday, Oct. 31 in one of two semifinal matches of the SLIAC Tournament. The championship match of the SLIAC Tournament is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 2 as the site of the highest seeded team remaining.