SURPRISE, ARIZ. - OUAZ and Hope International met for the first time in 2019 on October 5 at Spirit Field. That game saw OUAZ erase two deficits to beat the Royals in overtime. The second go around between the two teams is a near copy of the first.

The Spirit scored four second-half goals and came from behind twice to beat Hope International 4-3 in the first round of the GSAC Tournament. The win is the program's first NAIA postseason victory.

Hope scored the only goal in a relatively quiet first half, coming off the foot of Gissell Avila in the 14'. The Spirit came out of halftime on the attack, scoring two goals in the first 10:24 of the second half. It did not take long for the
Royals to answer, as they scored goals in the 66' from Avila, and in the 70' from Ofelia Sosa Cruz.

The Spirit then had an answer of its own, as Cassidi Calzaretta scored on a breakaway in the 82' to tie the game at three. Then, Saipress Jones scored with 2:28 remaining in regulation to give OUAZ the 4-3 lead. It was the fourth game-winning goal for Jones this season.

The win advances OUAZ to the semifinals of the GSAC Tournament. They will travel to Santa Barbara, Calif. to take on first-seeded Westmont. The Spirit lost to the Warriors 6-0 just nine days ago, and OUAZ head coach Skelly Kellar said the team needs to continue getting better in the upcoming week.

"Just continue to fine-tune stuff," Kellar said. "I'm really proud of the way the girls battled…The biggest message for the girls is just go to Westmont and battle."

Kickoff for next Thursday's semifinal matchup is scheduled for 2:30pm Arizona Time.