Glendale, AZ- Menlo Women's Soccer picked up their biggest win of the season in the first round of the GSAC Tournament. Playing at Arizona Christian's Field the Oaks managed to secure a 1-0 victory which will see them facing off against the number one seed, OUAZ. When it mattered most Menlo's defense stood tall and were able to generate offense when it was needed to secure a postseason victory!

Oaks Come Up Clutch In A Close One

When looking at the boxscore it was evident that both teams played an incredibly even match that was going to come down to a single possession. The Oaks managed five saves to ACU's four, had eight fouls compared to 10 for ACU and both teams put five total shots on goal. It should come as no surprise that this match was so tightly contested as a berth to the semifinals was on the line. Thankfully, Menlo's defense was up to the challenge of facing down ACU on their home field. Led by All-Conference players in Taryn Thalhamer and Giorgia Melcore, Menlo was able to withstand 10 shots by the Firestorm with Melcore preventing all five shots on goal from finding the back of the net. 

Anahi Casillas Keeps the Oaks Alive

Coming into this game many would expect the Oaks offense to lean on the duo of Haley Dunham and Kawai Acopan. The pair combined for 10 goals and two assists on the year with Acopan being named to the All-Conference team and Dunham scored the Oaks lone goal against ACU in their previous matchup. Acopan and Dunham brought their usual aggression on offense, combining for three shots on goal but today it would be junior Anahi Casillas that carried the offensive load with some help from Ruby Doerr. At the 32:27 mark Casillas would score the long goal of the match thanks to an assist by Ruby Doerr. This was Casillas's first goal of the year and she could not have picked a bigger moment to get her name on the statsheet. Doerr has been a key facilitator for the Oaks all year and while she has yet to find the back of the next, she is now up to a team high three assists on the year and is a big reason why Menlo will be back on the field for the semi-finals.

Up Next…

Coach Freddy Delgado and the team will be heading back down to Glendale for a November 9th showdown with the top seeded OUAZ Spirit for a chance to advance to the championship match. The Spirit managed a 2-1 victory last time the teams faced off but if todays match has taught us anything, the Oaks could be peaking at the right time and will not back down with a chance to pull off another upset!