East Central eliminated in GAC semifinals
Apr. 17—SHAWNEE — The East Central University's fourth-seeded soccer team couldn't find the net in a 3-0 loss to No. 1 seed Oklahoma Baptist on a rainy Thursday evening in the semifinals of the Great American Conference Tournament.
The Tigers finished their spring season at 4-6, while Oklahoma Baptist advanced to the title game at 7-1-2.
It will be OBU's fourth straight year to advance to the GAC championship contest. The Tigers (4-6, 3-4 GAC) were playing in their first GAC semifinals since 2017.
In the first period, OBU posted 11 shots to ECU's seven, but neither team found the back of the net. Both goalkeepers were tested, but both Mia Pendleton of OBU and Mollie Nance of ECU were up to the challenge. Pendleton fended off three shots on her goal and Nance stemmed OBU's offensive onslaught of five.
After a short intermission, the Bison offense went on a three-goal streak. The first goal came in the 53rd minute when Hannah White breached the ECU defense on a cross-shot. White posted her second goal of the game 14 minutes later. Even though the Bison had a 2-0 advantage, they did not give the Tigers any breathing room. OBU made Nance defend against five more shots before Emily Griffith put the game away with a final goal in the 80th minute.
Sophomore Kaylee Bruce and junior Lauren Butler led the team with two shots on goal each. Bruce ended with five total shots.
Nance, a senior from Broken Arrow, played all 90 minutes in the goal and finished with 12 saves. She finished her career with 206 saves, good for No. 6 on the all-time list.
