WEBSTER GROVES – Webster University is set to begin its quest for 10th St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Tournament championship on Thursday, Nov. 7 as the SLIAC regular season co-champion Gorloks host No. 4 seeded Westminster (Mo.) College (6-8-3 overall, 6-1-2 SLIAC) in a 6 p.m. semifinal match of the 2019 SLIAC Tournament at World Wide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton, Mo.
 
The Gorloks, who shared the regular season SLIAC title with Greenville, but earned the top seed in the tournament thanks to its 1-0 win last Saturday at home against the Panthers to force a tie atop the league standings, come into the postseason having won four straight matches and is sporting a 13-4-1 overall record and went 7-1-1 in league. The regular season championship was the eighth consecutive and 15th overall for the Gorloks. In addition, it was the first shared regular season title shared 2012 when Webster, Fontbonne and Principia shared the title.
 
Although this postseason has the same field as the previous two years, there is an underlying difference. All four teams come into the SLIAC Tournament with just one conference loss this season, marking the first time in conference history that has occurred. Greenville and Webster shared the regular season title after each went 7-1-1 against SLIAC foes. The pair are the first co-regular season champions since 2012 and just the fourth co-champions in league history. Webster earned the top seed in the tournament by virtue of their regular season finale win over Greenville, giving the Panthers the No. 2 seed. Fontbonne University will be the No. 3 seed while Westminster College comes in as the No. 4 seed. 
 
Thursday's other tournament semifinal will pit No. 2 seed Greenville (10-6-2 overall, 7-1-1 SLIAC) hosting No. 3 seed Fontbonne (11-5-4 overall, 6-1-2 SLIAC) at 5:30 p.m.
 
Webster, who has won five of the last seven SLIAC Tournament titles and nine overall tournament titles, enters the tournament as a slight favorite as they led the league with 65 goals, including scoring 40 goals in nine conference matches. Along with scoring 65 goals, the Gorloks also lead the league in assists (56), points (186) and is second in shots (423) and is tied for the league lead in shutouts with 11. On defense, Webster has allowed a league low 13 goals in 18 games, including allowing just one goal in league play as the Gorloks recorded eight shutouts in SLIAC play and gave up its lone goal in a 1-0 loss to Fontbonne on Oct. 19. 
 
Webster, who has won five of the last six SLIAC Tournament titles and nine overall tournament titles, enters the tournament as a slight favorite as they lead the league in scoring offense (4.53 goals per game), assists per game (4.32), points per game (13.37) and shots per game (27.05) and is second in fewest goals allowed as they allowed just 14 goals in 19 matches, including allowing just two goals in league play, both of which came on penalty kicks.
 
Leading the way for the Gorloks is the offensive trio of sophomore midfielder Jordan Lande (Sachse, Texas/Sachse), senior forward Melissa Kasper (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) and senior midfielder Savannah Page (Sandy, Utah/Jordan). That trio has combined for 44 goals, 28 assists, 116 points and 164 shots in 18 matches. Lande is second in the league in scoring with 18 goals and third in the league in points with 37, while Kasper, who holds the school's career record for assists with 54 and is one of 10 active Division III players with 30 career goals, 20 career assists and 130 career points, leads the league in both assists (17), points (42) and game winning goals (5) and is tied for fourth in goals with 13 and Page is tied for fourth in the league in goals with 13, third in assists with 10 and is fourth in points with 36.
 
Kasper, who was a three-time SLIAC Offensive Player of the Week this season, including earning the honor on Monday, enters the SLIAC Tournament fourth on the school's all-time list in points (148) and is sixth in career goals (47) and is currently the active leader among active Division III women's soccer players in career assists, eighth among active D-III players in points and 20th among active D-III players in goals scored. During SLIAC play this season, Kasper scored seven goals and had 10 assists and recorded at least one point in seven of nine league matches and has recorded an assist on nine of Webster's last 13 goals, including tying a single game school record of four assists against Principia last Tuesday.
 
Lande scored 11 of her 18 goals in league play and scored at least a goal in five of nine matches, including tallying four goals in a 13-0 win at Eureka to open SLIAC play. The four goals are tied for fourth most in a match in school history and Page had five goals and six assists in play and was a two-time Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 3 and Sept. 9.
 
Other key offensive players for the Gorloks are senior midfielder Olivia Osterhage (Eureka, Mo./Eureka) and sophomore midfielder Jordan Bilyeu (St. Louis, Mo./Lindbergh). Osterhage is third on the team in assists with eight and has also scored three goals for a total of 14 points, while Bilyeu has tallied three goals and four assists for a total of 10 points.

Webster's defense continues to be one of the best in the country as the Gorloks come into the postseason having allowed just 13 goals on the year, including just one goal in its last nine matches. The Gorloks have recorded 11 shutouts this season and since the beginning of the 2017 season, Webster has allowed 45 goals in 48 matches and has posted 32 shutouts.
 
Three of Webster's key defenders this season have been senior Lilly Brauer (Belleville, Ill./Belleville East), freshman Devan Pranchke (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield East) and freshman Reaghan Young (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley). Brauer, who was a Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 23, Pranchke and Young anchor the back of Webster's defense that allowed a total of 49 shots in nine conference matches, including holding two teams without a shot, Eureka and Iowa Wesleyan, during the regular season and limiting 10 teams during the season to fewer than 10 shots.
 
Another key member of Webster's defense has been freshman goalkeeper Taryn Banfield (Plano, Texas/Plano East). Banfield, who earned three Defensive Player of the Week honors, including this week's honor, leads the league in wins (12), goals allowed average (0.65), save percentage (.851) and shutouts (9), including combining on two shutouts with senior goalkeeper Abbey Mercer (Granite City, Ill./Granite City). Banfield has recorded 57 saves and has allowed just 10 goals in 1,375-plus minutes. She is 12-3-1 on the season and enters the postseason having recorded a 402-plus minute scoreless streak since allowing a goal in the 48th minute against Fontbonne.
 
Webster, who is coached by Luigi Scire, has posted an 18-6-3 all-time record in the SLIAC Tournament, including winning the championship nine times (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017). In addition, Webster has been tournament runners-up three times (2004, 2008 and 2015).

Scire is in his 21st season at the helm of the Gorloks women's soccer team and has posted a 320-94-17 all-time record and became the 32nd coach in NCAA Division III women's soccer history to reach 300 career victories last season, as well as the 24th to do so with only one school with Webster's 3-1 win on Oct. 3, 2018, at Westminster. He is 16th among Division III coaches in career winning percentage and 11th among active coaches and is one of 25 active Division III coaches with 300 wins.
 
During the regular season, Webster and Westminster played to a 0-0 scoreless draw in double overtime at WWT Soccer Park on Oct. 15. In that match, Webster outshot the Blue Jays, 25-7 and held a 15-4 edge in shots on goal. Kasper took eight shots and had six shots on goal, while sophomore midfielder Ryleigh Grommet (Rolla, Mo./Rolla) added five shots and two shots on goal and Osterhage took four shots and had two shots on goal. Banfield played all 110 minutes in goal as she recorded four saves and didn't allow a goal. The Blue Jays got two shots each from Madison Ekern and Natalie Schulte and Sarah Cradick recorded 15 saves in net for Westminster.
 
Thursday's semifinal winners will meet for the championship on Saturday, Nov. 9 at the site of the highest seeded team remaining in the tournament. The championship match is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
There will be admission charged for the SLIAC Tournament games as the ticket prices are $5 for adults and $2 for students and children under 16, while children under 5 will be admitted for free. Webster students attending Thursday's match at Soccer Park between the Gorloks and the Blue Jays will be admitted for free with a valid Webster student ID.
 
Along with Webster's league record tying nine tournament titles, Greenville has never won a SLIAC Tournament as the Panthers are 4-13-1 all-time in the tournament, while Fontbonne won the SLIAC Tournament title in 1996 and is 7-15-1 all-time in the tournament and Westminster won the title in 2015 and 2018 and is 6-12-3 all-time in the tournament. Westminster's win in 2015 came against Webster as the two teams played to a draw, but the Blue Jays won 5-4 on penalty kicks.

Here is a look at the 2019 SLIAC Women's Soccer Tournament schedule:

Thursday, Nov. 7 - Semifinals
Semifinal 1 (Played at World Wide Technology Soccer Park, Fenton, Mo.)
No. 4 seed Westminster (6-8-3, 6-1-2) at #1 Webster (13-4-1, 7-1-1), 6 p.m.
Semifinal 2 (Played at John M. Strahl Athletic Complex – Francis Field, Greenville, Ill.)
No. 3 Fontbonne (11-5-4, 5-1-2) at #2 Greenville (10-6-2, 7-1-1), 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 9 - Championship
Semifinal winner 1 vs. Semifinal Winner 2, 1 p.m. (Location TBA/Higher seed)