ECLIPSE SELECT ALUMNI: REGULAR SEASON CONCLUDES, RACE FOR CONFERENCE TITLES HEATS UP

WEEK 11: Eclipse Alumni have everything to play for as the regular season winds down and titles are up for grabs.

OAK BROOK, ILL. (October 30, 2018) – The NCAA Division I regular season has come to a close and the race for conference tournament championships is heating up. With their seasons on the line, Eclipse Select alumnae have been outstanding for their respective programs and are keeping their hopes for hardware alive. Here is this week’s rundown of top performers from this past week.

Freshman goalkeeper Olivia Jenkins (Plainfield, Ill.) came off the bench for the Penalty Shootout vs DePaul in the BIG EAST Tournament and made two crucial saves to help the Musketeers advance to the next round. Jenkins went in-frame for the penalty kicks, marking the first time in her career she’s done so. Jenkins stopped two of four looks, winning the shootout 4-2, to secure Xavier’s advancement to play Georgetown.

Sophomores Radihika Patel (Darien, Ill.) and Gopika Patel (Darien, Ill) are Missouri Valley Conference regular season champions for the first time in Loyola-Chicago program’s history. They ended the regular season 6-1-0 in MVC play and 9-6-1 in all competitions. The Ramblers Clinched the title after a 6-1 route of Evansville last Thursday night. Loyola will be the top seed in the upcoming MVC Women’s Soccer Championship.

Redshirt Sophomore Amanda Kowalski’s (Arlington Heights, Ill.) comer kick sparked the opening goal for the Butler Bulldogs as her set piece caused a scrum inside the box before the ball found the back of the net. Butler went on to beat Villanova 2-1 in the regular season finale and clinched a first-round bye of the BIG EAST championships.

Freshman Katie Koker (Racine, Wis.) scored her first career goal late in the first half against Seton Hall. Koker’s goal came on a well-struck ball placed over the head of the SHU keeper from just outside the 18-yard box. Koker threw-in the ball deep to fellow Eclipse alumna Carrie Madden (Deer Park, Ill.) who punched the ball back out to Koker for the strike from the right flank. Madden scored the game’s final goal on a header in the 89th minute to put the exclamation point on a fantastic career. Marquette went on to win the match 4-0 on senior night and the 2018 season finale.

Senior forward Sydney Griffin (Hinsdale, Ill.) had a late burst for Valparaiso in their final game of the year. Griffin recorded an assist in the 75th minute and scored her first goal of the season in the 86th minute. Senior Drew Moulton (Sycamore, Ill.) stopped 5 shots to go on and win 5-1 over Indiana State in their final career game.

Senior goalkeeper Sarah Le Beau (Crystal Lake, Ill.) made six saves and only allowed one goal from the penalty spot in 110 minutes of play to force a penalty shootout. Sarah had 3 shootout stops but it wasn’t enough in the end as Auburn lost in penalties 2-1 of the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament. The Tigers will have to wait for the NCAA Tournament Drawing to determine the fate of their 2018 season.