BABSON PARK, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's soccer team learned their postseason fate Saturday afternoon, as the fifth-seeded Gyrenes will face fourth-seeded Keiser in the opening round of the 2023 Sun Conference Tournament. Ave Maria fell in their final match of the regular season, 1-0, to the Webber International University Warriors in Babson Park.
Saturday's match was thought to be for control of the fifth seed in the conference tournament, but that equation changed late in the week. Webber forfeited the majority of their matches, including the draw with the Gyrenes in September, leaving Webber on the outside looking in and the Gyrenes having already clinched the fifth seed.
With that in mind, head coach Tyler Rosser went to his bench early and often. No Gyrene starter played more than 75 minutes, and only three played more than 60. 23 players saw time, including two goalkeepers in starter Emma Schweitzer, who did not allow a goal in her 65 minutes of action, and senior Ariana Dale.
Ave Maria outshot the Warriors in the first half, 6-4, although only two of those ten shots were on goal, both attempted by Gyrenes in Nina Laville and Madelyn Krause. Neither of those shots found the back of the net, sending the final match of the regular season to halftime scoreless.
With many of AMU's substitutes in the match for the majority of the second half, Webber was able to pick up the game-winner with a goal in the 67th minute. Maddie Manzke scored the lone goal on Saturday, scoring with 23:44 remaining on the clock thanks to an assist from Deb Guillen. During the second half, Webber outshot the Gyrenes by a 14-4 margin, with seven of those 14 shots challenging the goalkeeper.
Rachel Dalton was Ave Maria's top attacker in the loss, attempting three shots in her 56 minutes on the field. Fellow Venice native Madelyn Krause was the only other Gyrene with multiple shots, logging two shots and a shot on goal. Emma Schweitzer stayed flawless on the week with four saves and no goals allowed, while Ariana Dale added three saves in her final regular season match.
As the fifth seed in next week's tournament, the Gyrenes will head to West Palm Beach next Saturda afternoon for the quarterfinal round of The Sun Conference Tournament. Ave Maria and Keiser tied the first meeting of the season between the teams on September 27, while the Seahawks claimed a win on their home field on October 21. The third meeting is slated for high noon in West Palm Beach.
