Box Score On Senior Night in the last game of a wild regular season for the JCU women's soccer team, it seemed only fitting that one of the squad's senior leaders netted the winning goal.

Veteran midfielder Kristen Profeta scored the deciding goal in the first five minutes of the game to give the Blue Streaks a 1-0 victory, earning share of the Ohio Athletic Conference title and a No. 2 seed in the upcoming OAC Tournament.

The Blue Streaks finished the regular season at 7-2 in league play, tying Capital for first place in the final standings. It is John carroll's first league title since sharing the crown with Otterbein in 2002.

Riding a six-game winning streak, the red-hot Blue Streaks entered the match with an opportunity to head into the OAC Tournament with positive momentum and a long winning streak. Thanks to outstanding play on both offense and defense, JCU did just that, achieving its seventh consecutive shutout win.

From the very beginning, the Blue and Gold showed a burning desire to end the season with a win. The Blue Streaks dialed up the offensive pressure from the beginning of the match.

Kristen Profeta broke through the Wilmington defense five minutes into the first period. Receiving a pass from Kay Akerly on the left side of the field around the 5-yard line, Profeta buried a shot into the top shelf of the net over the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Grace Hignite. The goal was Profeta's fourth of the season, and the seventh of the senior's career.

"It was awesome," Profeta said. "It felt good especially since it was Senior Night and I got to put a goal in for the team."

Though Profeta's tally was the only scoring in the first period, JCU held the clear advantage. The Blue and Gold not only outshot the Quakers 6-1, but won a majority of battles for the ball. Most of the play in the first occurred on the Wilmington side of the field, thanks to stellar passing and impressive play from defenders Kyla Sofo and Sarah Ruckstuhl.

The Blue Streaks stayed on the attack in the second period, outshooting the Quakers 8-3. Preston Mendel and Profeta notched three shots apiece for the Blue and Gold. Smart passing and deft defensive work allowed the Blue Streaks to spend most of their time on the Wilmington side of the field and keep the Quakers' defense busy.

The Quakers managed a few promising chances in the second period. Wilmington's Rachelle Bowen barely missed a beautiful rebound opportunity with less than 15 minutes to play. But Haley McDonald remained stout in net, extending her shutout streak to seven to help the Blue Streaks emerge with another win.

"It was very exciting," head coach Mike Marich said of the victory. "The opportunity to win at least a share of the championship was big for us. The players, over the last seven games, have been playing amazing."

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