OAC Tournament Championship Preview: Women's Soccer Looking for More Magic

11/8/2024 6:53:00 PM | By: Joe Ginley '16, SID

ADA, Ohio – Last season provided a magical journey for John Carroll Women's Soccer. Will there be a repeat run?

If so, the magic will need to happen on the road, as the Blue Streaks are headed to Ada on Saturday, with a second straight conference crown on the line.

Ohio Northern will host John Carroll in the OAC Tournament Championship, the second straight year that the programs will meet in the title bout.

The first game between the teams this season occurred in University Heights. It was a complete domination for the Polar Bears in the first contest, as ONU beat JCU in the regular season finale, 2-0, while outshooting the hosts by a wide margin.

However, the Blue Streaks are hoping to peak at the right time. Following a slow start in non-conference play, John Carroll caught fire with seven straight wins. ONU concluded a program-record 19-match unbeaten streak in conference play.

John Carroll is no stranger to the big stage, as this is the ninth appearance in the OAC Tournament Championship in program history. JCU possesses a 2-6 record in such games, part of a 16-20-2 overall mark in the conference tournament.

Meanwhile, the Polar Bears are quite familiar with the limelight. This year's OAC Regular Season Champs, ONU has won five OAC Tournament crowns since 2012, including in three of the last five seasons.

As for this season, Polar Bears sport a 13-5-1 record. Alyssa Beckett and Jill Roberts have 10 and 9 goals, respectively, while Roberts tops the team with 8 assists. However, it was Emma Bowman who did the most damage in the last matchup with a pair of assists on set piece goals for ONU. Emma Gramke pitched a shutout for ONU, but she did not have to make any saves.

Meanwhile, the Blue Streaks have been buoyed by Madyson Rosado. The veteran has proven that success in previous seasons has been no fluke. The North Ridgeville native has twice earned the conference's offensive athlete of the week honors, leading JCU with 9 goals and 21 points. In last season's magical victory vs. ONU at home in the championship, Rosado and Emma West potted the goals.

And of course, you can't talk about JCU without mentioning Madeline Martin. The star goalkeeper has exceptional marks in goals against average (0.81) and save percentage (.871). Her 8 shutouts are another proof of her skills. Stars in front of her such as Jennifer Crowley, Kathryn Shaffer, Brooke Kelly, and Alli Malinky – who leads all field players in minutes with 1,605 – have made the defensive domination possible.

For the sake of history, JCU is 11-8-3 as the #2 seed and 2-10-2 vs. the #2 seed. JCU is 7-1-8 in overtime games in the tournament and 6-2 in games decided by penalty kicks.

JCU and ONU are evenly deadlocked in the postseason, with a 5-5-3 mark against each other.

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