QUINCY, Ill. - With a pair of goals in the final five minutes of action, senior
Mackenzie Rief helped the Hawks clinch their first GLVC regular season championship since 2013.
With the Hawks trailing 2-1 with four minutes remaining, Rief tied the game with a penalty shot after a handball in the box by Illinois Springfield.
Two minutes later another handball by the Prairie Stars allowed for Rief to attempt a free kick just outside the 18-yard box. Rief beat the goalkeeper and gave the Hawks the 3-2 victory.
QU had to battle from behind after surrendering a pair of first-half goals.
The Prairie Stars scored in the 33rd minute of play when Taylor Mraz scored her third goal of the season to put UIS up 1-0.
Just six minutes later, UIS scored again on a goal by Amanda Meyer. This was the largest deficit the Hawks had faced since the loss to Grand Valley State on September 27th.
QU responded with a goal by
Baylee Smith (Rochester, IL / Rochester) just 37 seconds later. It was Smith's first goal of the season and cut the lead to 2-1 before the Hawks and Prairie Stars went into the half.
On the grass surface and wet conditions, the Hawks were forced to up the offensive intensity in the second half to look to tie the game.
QU tallied five shots with four on goal in the second half, but were unable to tie the game through 85 minutes of play.
After a corner kick by
Allison Diekmann (Imperial, MO / Seckman) was sent into the box and the handball was called, Rief stepped up for the decisive penalty kick.
Rief buried her shot to tie the game and give the Hawks a second life just before the final buzzer.
After Rief's free-kick two minutes later gave the Hawks a 3-2 lead QU held on for its 14th victory of the season.
The second goal on the afternoon by Rief was her eighth game-winner of the season, which is currently tied for the most in NCAA Division II during the 2017 season.
Megan Swanson picked up her 14th win of the season which is tied for second-most in school history in a single season. Swanson also set the program record for longest consecutive minutes played without allowing a goal (694 minutes).
This is the fourth GLVC regular season championship under head coach
Dave Musso. The Hawks previously won the regular season title in 2006, 2012, and 2013. The Hawks also collected the GLVC tournament titles in 2012 and 2013.
QU travels to Liberty, MO. Wednesday (Oct. 25) for the final regular-season contest against William Jewell.
