ALMA, Mich. – The Albion College side responded to the challenge of competing for possession of the ball in the second half, and it will move on in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Women's Soccer Tournament after taking a 2-1 victory over Alma College in a first round match.
The Britons, the No. 5 seed with an 8-6-1 overall record, will travel to Adrian College, the MIAA regular season champion, on Tuesday for a semifinal match with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
Riley Burnette, a senior midfielder who was named to the all-MIAA second team earlier in the week, scored the equalizer for Albion in the 68th minute.
"Riley did well to stay focused on her goal," Albion Head Coach Eric Scott said. "She hit the post twice leading up to it. We had a corner, and in the scrum in the box, the ball came to her and she calmly finished it."
Scott said the game-winning score by Rayna Edwards "came from a similar moment".
"Both of those kids were dangerous in the wide areas," Scott said.
Scott credited Emily Wolford, a senior in the midfield voted to the all-MIAA first team earlier in the week, for playing a great second half along with Burnette.
Alma could have set the tone for the match early, however Haley Demers, the Britons first-year goalkeeper, came up with a save on a 1 v 1 moment early on.
"It would have made the game vastly different," Scott said of the moment early in the match.
Ashley Oldham scored the Alma goal in the 30th minute.
Albion owned a 12-3 edge in shots, including 8-2 in shots on goal. Burnette led the Britons with six shots, including three of those on goal.
Follow the Albion women's soccer team on Twitter (@AlbionWSoccer) and Instagram (albionwomenssoccer). General Albion athletics news is available on Twitter (@GoBrits), Instagram (AlbionAthletics) and Facebook (facebook.com/albionathletics)
Joe and Julie Serra have given a $5 million leadership gift to launch a fundraising initiative to make two dreams a reality at Albion College. The first is a newly expanded fitness and student activity facility at the site of the current Dow Recreation and Wellness Center. The second is a new or renovated competition facility for the volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball teams that currently call Kresge Gymnasium home.
The College is continuing to raise funds in support of both projects. To learn more, call 517/629-0446 or email advancement@albion.edu