King's Game-Winner Sends No. 2 Marian to CL Championship

INDIANAPOLIS - Held scoreless through 67 minutes of play, Sammie King notched the game-winning goal for the Marian women's soccer team on Saturday night, sliding in the lone goal in Marian's 1-0 win over No. 21 Spring Arbor in the Crossroads League Tournament Semifinals. Marian advances to the championship with an 18-0-1 overall record.

The first half of Saturday's match went by scoreless, with the game showing equal possession for both sides. Neither team logged a stat until the seventh minute of play, while Marian took the first shot of the night in the 17th minute, with a right-footed blast from Taylor Wert missing wide left of the goal. Wert would fire another shot on goal in the 20th minute that was denied by Reagan Kohler, while one minute later, Olivia Parmer was unable to win a one-on-one matchup with the keeper, seeing her shot on goal be smothered by the keeper.

Spring Arbor built one true threat in the first half, but were unable to convert a shot attempt on their 24th-minute counter. The Cougars would later be called offside as they attempted to log a shot attempt, while Marian finished the half with two additional shots, one coming from Jordan Love and the other from Sienna Mullen. 

After the halftime break, Spring Arbor took the first crack at breaking the tie, but were unable to see Jessie Postma's shot get past Lily Ames. A 56th-minute approach from Claire VanZanten would miss high, as the Cougars struggled to find an offensive identity. 

In the 62nd minute, the Knights began their approach for a goal, starting with a shot on goal by Kylie Conrad. The shot helped set up the offense on the attacking third of the pitch, and in the 68th minute, the Knights were awarded a corner kick. Kiley Jones sent the ball on play in front of the goal, and after clearing the Spring Arbor traffic, Olivia Parmer was able to control the kick. Parmer played a short pass to Sammie King after collecting the loose ball, with King burying her third goal from three yards out.

The third goal of the year for King put Marian on top 1-0, which would be more than enough offense to seal the match. Marian's defense limited possession for Spring Arbor over the final 22 minutes, as the Knights allowed just two shots total in the win. Conversely, Marian was able to play keep away on the offensive end, controlling the clock over the remainder of the game to ice out the 1-0 victory.

King scored on her lone shot of the game, while Wert had a team-high two attempts. Marian managed just seven shots in the win. Lily Ames moved to 16-0-1 on the season in goal, making one save on her lone opportunity. 

Marian will host No. 16 Grace College in the Crossroads League Tournament Championship Match on Wednesday night, with kick coming at 7:00 p.m. The Knights won their regular season meeting with Grace 2-0 back on October 4.

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