WSoc: Westmont opens NAIA tourney against Ottawa

Westmont women’s soccer team, ranked fourth in the final NAIA National Coaches Poll, has been seeded seventh in the NAIA National Championship and will host Ottawa of Kansas (12-2-6) in an opening-round game on Saturday. Kick-off has been scheduled for 1 p.m.

The Braves have not lost since September 24 when they fell 2-0 to Baker (Kan.) – the only common opponent between Westmont and Ottawa. Westmont defeated Baker 2-0 on August 30 in a game played on Thorrington Field.

Freshman forward Caroline Jenkins leads the Braves’ offensive effort with 12 goals and four assists. Junior forward Morgan Trump has added six goals and seven assists while senior midfielder Autumn Surage has contributed four goals and seven assists.

The Warriors are on an eight-game winning streak and have outscored their opponents 31-3 during that stretch. Co-Champions of the Golden State Athletic Conference regular season with a record of 8-2, Westmont won the GSAC Tournament 2-1 over #10 Vanguard last Friday.

The Warriors have outscored their opponents 51-15 with 14 different Warriors scoring goals during the season. Senior forward Mallory Mitchell leads the Warriors in both goals (eight) and assists (five). Sophomore midfielder Brooke Lillywhite has added seven goals and four assists while three Warriors – Tiffany Dimaculangan, Kaci Mexico and Kelsey Steck – have tallied six goals apiece.

The winner of Saturday’s game will advance to the NAIA Women’s Soccer Final Site in Orange Beach, Alabama for second round action. The second round game will take place on Tuesday, December 2 at 1:30 p.m. CST against the winner of the Martin Methodist-Oklahoma Baptist game.