Denver, Colo.— The Mavericks defeated the Coyotes of South Dakota by a score of 2-0 on Friday with two late goals in the final eight minutes of regulation to advance to Sunday's semifinal match against the top-seeded Denver Pioneers.
The win was head coach Tim Walters' sixth Summit League Championship victory and 50th of his career in seven seasons as manager of the Mavericks. Walters' record at Omaha sits at 50-58-24 through 120 matches.
How it Happened
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South Dakota was on the attack early with the first three shots of the match, but none tested Omaha's goalkeeper Mia Reedtz Rehde Olesen, who made her fifth start of the season.
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At the half-hour mark, Maggie Gundersen had the first shot for the Mavericks blocked. Alyssa Kellar picked up the rebound and fired it towards Coyotes' goalkeeper Caroline Lewis, but that shot was also blocked by the defense.
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Sophia Green recorded the first shot on goal in the 39th minute, but Lewis was there with her first save.
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Just two minutes later, Grace Bartlam had a scoring attempt saved by the Coyotes' keeper.
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Mia Reedtz was finally tested in the 44th minute with a South Dakota shot. Reedtz made the stop and would finish the match with just that one save on record.
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Green sent the first shot towards goal in the second half, but Lewis was there to make the save for South Dakota.
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The Mavericks finally broke the tie when Grace Ostergaard sent the ball into the box in the 83rd minute. Emilie Erland connected with Ostergaard's pass, heading it past Lewis for her third goal of the season. Ostergaard picked up her fifth assist of the season with another excellent pass.
Inside the Box
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The Mavericks narrowly outshot the Coyotes 11-10. Omaha had a heavy advantage in shots on goal as they led South Dakota 5-1.
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Mia Reedtz Rehde Olesen made her fifth start of the season in net for the Mavericks and earned her fourth shutout. Reedtz made one save for her third victory as the senior's record moves to 3-0-2 this season.
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Emilie Erland recorded her third goal of the year and second in her Summit League postseason career. Last year in the 2022 Summit League Championship quarterfinal, Erland netted the game winner on a header in the 82nd minute to defeat North Dakota 1-0.
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Grace Ostergaard picked up her fifth assist on Erland's goal as she shares the team lead with Alyssa Kellar.
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Sophia Green scored her 10th goal as the Summit League's Offensive Player of the Year tied the Division I era program record for goals in a season. Chelsi Rohloff now shares the record she set in 2014 when she scored 10 goals.
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The Mavericks recorded their eighth clean sheet of the year in the 2-0 win.
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Omaha was called for 12 fouls compared to South Dakota's 11. The Mavericks were called for eight fouls in the first half and the Coyotes were called for four. South Dakota led Omaha 7-4 in fouls in the second half.
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