McElwee, Ortiz help Women's Soccer clinch NACC Tournament berth

RIVER FOREST, Ill. – Freshman Allison McElwee scored the lone goal and senior Tabitha Ortiz stopped all eight shots she faced to help the Concordia University Wisconsin Women's Soccer team secure a 1-0 win at Concordia Chicago Friday afternoon. The win clinches a NACC Tournament berth for the Falcons, who have one league contest remaining.

THE BASICS
- Final Score: Concordia Wisconsin 1, Concordia Chicago 0
- Location: Concordia Stadium – River Forest, Illinois
- Records: CUW 7-6-3, 6-2-1 NACC; CUC 5-10-2, 4-5-0 NACC

HOW IT HAPPENED
- McElwee (Laramie, Wyo.) produced the lone goal of the match in the 36th minute. The freshman produced a great individual effort by weaving through three Cougars defenders to bury a shot from the right side. The goal was the fifth of the season for McElwee.

- Ortiz (Plainfield, Ill.) was tested all match, needing four saves in each half to keep the Cougars off the scoreboard. The shutout was the fourth of the season for Ortiz and third in NACC play. She now has 12 shutouts in her impressive career and has also split shutouts with other keepers six times.

- The Cougars finished with a 19-11 edge in shots, including a 14-8 advantage in the second half. The Falcons tallied just three shots in the first half but all three were on goal, including McElwee's game-winner.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Falcons are back in the NACC Tournament after missing out in 2016. CUW can finish no worse than fourth in the NACC standings, meaning they will most likely host a first-round match next Sunday. They are still alive for a bye but would need help getting to that scenario.

- Two of the shutouts for Ortiz this season have come at Concordia Stadium in River Forest. The Falcons opened the season with two non-conference matches at Concordia Stadium and Ortiz posted a shutout in a scoreless draw against Concordia Nebraska on September 2.

UP NEXT
- The Falcons are back at it in two days for a non-conference home match against UW-Oshkosh Sunday at 3 p.m. Sunday will also be Senior Day at Fitting Field as the Falcons will honor five players before the match. Ortiz, Breanne Thomas, McKenna Kowalski, Rachel Suarez, and Mikayla Ross will be recognized Sunday.