BUCKHANNON — The regular season finale for the West Virginia Wesleyan College women’s soccer team was a wet, gritty affair against the visiting Shepherd Rams that ended a 1-1 tie after 110 minutes of tense soccer on Sunday.
The Lady ‘Cats were happy to put the game behind them. After falling behind early, they evened the score in the 49th minute when Shannon Shawgo scored off of a Haelly Ramirez assist.
But a rash of injuries sidelined both of those players, as well as center midfielder Chrystal Posada, and senior Natalie Prater spent much of the game off the field after narrowly avoiding a red card for dissension.
Sophomore Taylor Maucere would not be so fortunate, as both she and Shepherd defender Elishia Davis would be sent off with just seconds left in the game after punches were thrown in front of the Rams’ goal.
Overall, the game featured a combined 30 fouls and ended in near darkness.
As it relates to the Mountain East Conference tournament, the match was meaningless to both teams: Wesleyan had already clinched the regular season title and top overall seed, while Shepherd had been eliminated.
The Lady ‘Cats will have a few days to heal up and regroup before hosting the winner of the West Liberty/Fairmont first round game. Wesleyan got a bye as the winner of the south division, while Notre Dame College won the north division. They will take on the Concord/Charleston winner.
The Lady ‘Cats are hoping to extend their 15-game unbeaten streak. They’ve only given up four goals all year and haven’t lost since the season-opener at Slippery Rock.
Wesleyan’s semifinal match is set for 1 p.m. Friday in Buckhannon. If the Lady ‘Cats win, they would host the championship Sunday.
