GLENDALE, ARIZ. – After battling through 12 conference games, the OUAZ women's soccer team was set up for a Win and You're In contest against Arizona Christian on Thursday night. The Spirit took full advantage of the moment, scoring a goal in each half and clinching its spot in the 2024 GSAC Tournament with a 2-0 victory.
In a game that saw the lights go out near the end of the contest, the Spirit turned the bulbs out on its opponent's playoff chances by dominating the control of play. OUAZ outshot Arizona Christian 14-9, and also had the 5-3 shots on goal advantage.
Mindy Lertzman got the scoring started with her fourth of the season in the 15th minute. As the Spirit continued to make a push in the second half, Karissa Frerichs would double the lead off a great feed from Amanda Witkowski.
Chloe Avila had a great game, making a trio of saves for the Spirit's six shutout of the season. In the second half, OUAZ limited ACU to just three shots and wrenched up the defensive pressure as the game neared the end.
While the Spirit will have to wait for the dust to settle this week to find out where they are playing in the GSAC Tournament Semifinal, they will have the regular season finale to compete in on Saturday. Kickoff against Benedictine Mesa is set for 5 p.m.
