Women's Soccer 11/13/2024 1:00:00 PM Chris Brannick

Bronchos Take On Washburn In MIAA Semis

Central Oklahoma Looks To Return To MIAA Championship Final For First Time Since 2019

WICHITA, Kan. – Central Oklahoma continues its postseason Thursday with the MIAA Women's Soccer Championship Semifinals against Washburn at Scheels Stryker Soccer Complex with kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m.

UCO is the No. 4 seed in the eight-team postseason tournament. Washburn, the regular season champion, is the No. 1 seed.

"We feel like we're playing at a good level right now and we're looking forward to the challenge of keeping that up," first-year UCO head women's soccer coach Amel Muhamedagic said. "Our defense has been very strong the last few weeks and they're giving us a chance. If we can get the offense going, we feel confident going into this weekend."

No. 2 Missouri Western and No. 3 Central Missouri also play Thursday, at noon in Wichita. The two semifinal winners will meet Saturday in the championship match. The league champ receives an automatic qualification into the NCAA Tournament next weekend.

To get to this point, Central beat Northeastern State in the first round of the MIAA Championship Sunday in Edmond. The Bronchos went to overtime and Rebecca Tweedy scored the game-winning goal in the 95th minute. Washburn beat Fort Hays State 2-1 on Sunday, jumping out to a 2-0 lead before an 83rd minute goal put FHSU on the board.

Central Oklahoma and Washburn met in Topeka, Kansas earlier this season and the two played to a scoreless draw. UCO has seven shutouts this season including that match. The Ichabods of Washburn have 15 shutouts in 19 contests, including a run of 12 straight earlier this season.

Central is led by graduate student Rebekah George, who has 10 goals and four assists this season. Tweedy is second on the team with seven goals and a pair of assists, while Madison Linavong has six goals and also has two assists.

Caleah Carter and Harmony Turner both have four goals and four assists heading into the semifinals, and Jordan Tanges adds three goals. Seven other Bronchos have also scored once this season.

Avery Bass continues to be a key reason Central's defense has succeeded this season. She is responsible for all seven shutouts. Bass has 65 saves on the year and 107 for her career, which ranks ninth in school history.

Central Oklahoma has a 13-7-3 all-time record in the MIAA Championship. The Bronchos won the tournament in 2018 and 2019 and look to return to the final for the first time since then.

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Players Mentioned

#0 Avery Bass: GK; 5' 9"; Junior

#11 Madison Linavong: MF; 5' 7"; Senior

#22 Harmony Turner: MF; 5' 5"; Senior

#14 Rebecca Tweedy: F; 5' 5"; Junior

#19 Jordan Tanges: MF; 5' 6"; Freshman

#24 Caleah Carter: F; 5' 6"; Freshman

#27 Rebekah George: MF; 5' 4"; Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

#0 Avery Bass
: 5' 9"; Junior
: GK

#11 Madison Linavong
: 5' 7"; Senior
: MF

#22 Harmony Turner
: 5' 5"; Senior
: MF

#14 Rebecca Tweedy
: 5' 5"; Junior
: F

#19 Jordan Tanges
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: MF

#24 Caleah Carter
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: F

#27 Rebekah George
: 5' 4"; Graduate Student
: MF