Columbia, MO - The No. 3-seeded Stephens College soccer team advanced to the American Midwest Conference Tournament semifinals following an 11-0 victory over No. 6-seeded Hannibal-LaGrange University on Tuesday evening at Battle High School. The Stars controlled the quarterfinal matchup from start to finish, recording seven goals in the second half to secure their place in the next round of postseason play.
Stephens established offensive control early, creating several scoring opportunities before Ava Leininger broke the scoreless game in the 20th minute. Kassi Loethen doubled the advantage in the 28th minute off an assist from Kylee Kratzer before Leininger added her second goal just two minutes later. Addie Butler extended the lead to 4-0 in the 34th minute, finishing an opportunity created by Lourdes Rocha Dias and Carsyn Osborn. The Stars entered halftime with a four-goal advantage after outshooting Hannibal-LaGrange 18-0 in the opening 45 minutes.
The Stars carried their offensive momentum into the second half, scoring four goals in just over three minutes. Amaura Austell opened the second-half scoring in the 50th minute off an assist from Eastin Colyer before adding her second goal less than a minute later. Colyer followed with a goal in the 53rd minute, and Leininger completed her hat trick just 34 seconds later off an assist from Austell, extending the lead to 8-0.
Stephens continued to build on its advantage as Colyer recorded her second goal in the 62nd minute, assisted by Lainie Scheer and Ada Erondu. Pixie Willis added the Stars' 10th goal in the 71st minute off assists from Lana Fernandes Plagge and Erondu before Erondu capped off the scoring in the 90th minute, finishing an assist from Fernandes Plagge to secure the 11-0 victory.
Leininger led the Stars with three goals, while Austell and Colyer each recorded two goals and an assist. Butler, Loethen, Willis and Erondu each contributed a goal. Erondu also recorded two assists, while Fernandes Plagge added two of her own. In total, seven different Stephens players found the back of the net.
The Stars dominated offensively, finishing with 34 shots, including 21 on goal, while holding Hannibal-LaGrange to just two total shots. Stephens also maintained a 12-1 advantage in corner kicks. Goalkeepers Petra Brncova and Romina Camacho combined for the shutout, with Brncova recording one save in 69 minutes before Camacho closed out the final 21 minutes.
With the victory, Stephens improves to 11-5-3 overall, continuing its record-breaking season and advancing to the AMC Tournament semifinals.
The No. 3-seeded Stars will now travel to St. Louis, Missouri, to face No. 2-seeded Harris-Stowe State University in the AMC Tournament semifinals on Friday, November 6, at 1:00 p.m.
