FULTON, Mo. – The Webster University women's soccer team captured its 17th St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) regular-season championship Wednesday evening, rallying from a second-half deficit to defeat Westminster College, 2-1, at Kent & Judith Mueller Stadium.
With the victory, the Gorloks improved to 11-2-1 overall and 7-0-1 in conference play, securing the regular-season crown in a winner-take-all showdown against the Blue Jays.
After a scoreless opening half, Westminster struck just 30 seconds into the second period when Fiona Shelp found the back of the net to give the Blue Jays a 1-0 advantage.
Webster found its equalizer in the 65th minute when Mia Smith delivered a pass to a streaking Malaya Blakely. Blakely gathered the ball in stride, sliced between two Westminster defenders and slipped a shot past the goalkeeper for her 16th goal of the season, bringing the Gorloks level at 1-1.
Just over six minutes later, the Gorloks completed the comeback in the 71st minute. Riley Cappozzo fired a shot on goal that the Westminster goalkeeper was unable to secure. With Sofia Bosnos positioned directly beside the goalkeeper, she pounced on the loose ball and buried the rebound into the back of the net for her eighth goal of the season, giving Webster a 2-1 lead at the 71:40 mark.
Westminster pushed for an equalizer over the final 18 minutes, recording three shots and earning a corner kick in the 80th minute. The Blue Jays threatened again in the closing minutes, as Fiona Shelp sent an attempt wide in the 83rd minute before Olivia Gibson forced Leia Adkins into a save just seconds later. The Gorloks held firm defensively over the remaining six minutes, preserving the 2-1 victory and securing the program's 17th SLIAC regular-season championship.
Webster finished with a 14-13 advantage in shots, including an 8-5 edge in shots on goal. Blakely led the Gorloks with five shots, while Cappozzo added three. Smith, Lucy Elfrink and Bosnos each recorded two attempts.
In goal, Leia Adkins played all 90 minutes and recorded four saves to earn the victory, including two stops in each half.
The championship victory also completed a conference regular-season title sweep for Webster's soccer programs, with both the men's and women's teams finishing atop the SLIAC standings. Both programs will now turn their attention to the SLIAC Tournament, with semifinal matches scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 5, followed by the championship matches on Saturday, Nov. 7. All postseason matches will be played at WWT Soccer Park.
