GREENVILLE, Pa. - The Westminster College women's soccer team came back from a 1-0 first-half deficit with two goals in the second half to beat Thiel, 2-1, on the road Wednesday night. The Titans improved their chances of qualifying for next week's Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Tournament as their record improves to 7-9-1 overall and 5-3 in the PAC. Thiel drops to 5-12-2 overall and 1-7 in the league.
Four PAC teams entered Wednesday's games with either four or five PAC wins and only two of those teams will fill the remaining two spots for the PAC tournament. Westminster will host one of those teams, Grove City, Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
Westminster scored the game-winning goal vs. Thiel at the 88:24 mark, just 1:36 before the end of regulation, on an unassisted goal by senior midfielder Shanay Phillian (New Castle, Pa./Wilmington).
Sophomore forward Amanda Turi (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) tied the game at 1-1 with a goal in the 47th minute on an assist by senior defender Tyler Dever (Salt Lake City, Utah/Highland).
Phillian's and Turi's goals were each their second of the season. Dever tied Phillian with her team-leading third assist of the year.
Thiel took the lead with Nicole Jeschelnig beat Westminster junior goalkeeper Jenn Cantella (Freedom, Pa./Freedom) just 45 seconds into the game. Cantella would make one save to post the win as the Titans outshot the Tomcats 17-3.
About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College ranks first in the nation as "Best College for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math," according to Forbes.com. Westminster, a top-tier liberal arts college, ranks third in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Best Colleges guide. Westminster ranked 6th among liberal arts colleges in social mobility, according to the Washington Monthly College Guide, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 376 Colleges" by The Princeton Review, and is named to the President's Honor Roll for excellence in service learning.
Nearly 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty while choosing from 42 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa., campus. Visit www.westminster.edu/advantage to view "Advantage: Westminster" A Strategic Plan 2010-2020.
