WICHITA, Kan. - Griffon Women's Soccer (11-2-7) is headed for the MIAA tournament championship match for the second time in program history and for the first time since 2017.
No. 4 seed MoWest defeated No. 8 seed Northeastern State, 3-1, on Thursday afternoon at the Scheels Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita.
MoWest struck first in the 19th minute on a close-range shot by Rosemary Pujado that snuck in, giving the Griffs an early advantage.
Northeastern State (12-7-1) had the response just before halftime as Sydney Taylor snuck one by on the left side in the 42nd minute, knotting the match at 1-1 by intermission.
The Griffons broke that tie 20 minutes into the second half when Pujado put a ball high into the back of the net, giving MoWest a 2-1 lead in the 65th minute.
Just a minute later, MoWest drew a foul in the 18-yard area, which allowed Kendall Knisley to drill in her eighth goal of the season on a penalty kick, slamming the door and giving MoWest the 3-1 advantage with just 23 minutes remaining.
Each team had eight total shots and four of them on goal. Morgan Byrd recorded three saves in goal, improving her season record to 9-2-6.
Pujado became the first Griffon since Jaden Skinner in October 2023 vs. Fort Hays to score multiple goals in the same match. She's just the 13th Griffon to ever score two or more goals in a single match. Rosemary's sister, Elisabeth Pujado, did it against Missouri Southern in 2022 with two goals as well.
Knisley's eight goals this season is now the fifth most in a single season in program history. Her 18 career goals ranks second in program history as well.
Annie McDevitt and Nicoletta Froehlich each played the entire 90 minutes Thursday. Froehlich made history with her 79th career appearance and start - both of those marks are new program records.
MoWest goes for the MIAA tournament title on Saturday at 2 p.m., facing No. 6 seed Central Oklahoma (10-5-5) at the Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita. The match will be streamed and available to watch on the MIAA Network with a subscription.
UCO beat No. 7 seed Emporia State Thursday, 1-0. The Bronchos and Griffons played to a scoreless draw in St. Joseph back on Oct. 5.
