MWC Tournament Page

DE PERE, Wis. – Grinnell College's women's soccer team rose to the occasion Saturday, getting the win it needed to advance to the postseason.
 
The Pioneers look to ride that momentum into the 2017 Midwest Conference Tournament hosted by St. Norbert College this weekend.
 
Grinnell, 6-3 in the MWC and 10-7 overall, is the third seed and will take on second-seeded and co-league regular-season champ Knox College at 11 a.m. Friday in a semifinal.
 
Grinnell is no stranger to the MWC Tournament, making its 23rd appearance in program history. The Pioneers have made the tourney 16 of the last 19 years and 23 of the past 26.
 
Grinnell and Knox played Oct. 7 in Galesburg, with the Prairie Fire eking out a 1-0 double-overtime victory.
 
Valencia Alvarez '20 leads a balanced Grinnell offensive attack, ranking first in the league in assists with six and eighth in points with 18. Francesca Varias '18, Simona Bambi '20 and Alvarez have six goals each, while Jordan Maddaus '19 has five and Gwen Holtzman '19 three. Varias and Maddaus each have four assists.
 
Regan Kasprak '19 has been a steady force at keeper, posting a 1.37 goals against average and .738 saves percentage.
 
Knox, which has a four-game winning streak against Grinnell, is 7-0-2 in the league and 12-4-2 overall. The Prairie Fire are led offensively by Kayla Brown who is fourth in the conference in goals with 12 and fifth in points with 25. Yvette Rodriguez is tied for first in the assists with six.
 
Sierra Daniger ranks among the league's top keepers, leading the MWC in goals against average at .176 and saves percentage at .939. She is second in shutouts with eight.
 
The other semifinal pits top-seeded and co-MWC regular-season champ St. Norbert and fourth-seeded Monmouth College. The winners meet at 6 p.m. Saturday, with that winner earning the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.