POSTGAME INTERVIEW

CHICAGO -- The 4th-seeded University of Chicago women's soccer team picked up a 1-0 win over #17 Cal Lutheran to advance to the Sectional Final for the second consecutive season.

The Maroons had the first scoring chance of the game in the 10th minute when Indira Naylor slipped through the defense, beating her defender to the touchline, and played a ball across the box to Mary Stuart Kerrigan, but the Regals' keeper made a great save diving to her right to keep the game scoreless.

In the 12th minute, the Maroons were inches away from finding the go-ahead goal when a corner kick from Annabel Edwards found the head of Kerrigan, but the Cal Lutheran defender came up big at the far post to save the ball off the line to keep the score level.

UChicago finally found the breakthrough in the 20th minute when Jamie Nguyen weaved through the Cal Lutheran defense and played a ball into the box. In the ensuing scramble in the six, Ella Cho was able to get possession and finish past the keeper at the far post for her first goal since September 20 to put the Maroons up 1-0.

Cal Lutheran had a great chance to level the score in the 26th minute when a free kick found the foot of Olivia Suarez inside the six, but outstanding defending by Hadley Hagwell and McKenzie Toomey spoiled the chance to maintain the 1-0 lead.

The Regals had another great chance for an equalizer in the 59th minute when a corner kick fell to the foot of a Cal Lutheran attacker at the top of the six, but Sophia Sasaki came up with another excellent save, diving to her left, to keep the 1-0 advantage.

The final chance to level the score for Cal Lutheran came in the 74th minute when a shot was ripped from outside the 18, and Sasaki had to leap off her line to tip the shot off the crossbar before it was sent out of harm's way. The save was one of three on the day for the senior keeper.

With the win, the Maroons improve to 15-2-3 on the year. UChicago returns to action on Sunday at 1 PM as the team battles Carleton College with a spot in the National Semifinals on the line.