SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist women's soccer is set to compete in their first NCCAA National Championship. All matches will be played at Austin-Tindall Soccer Complex in Kissimmee, Florida.
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The Lady Bison enter the nine-team field as the fourth-overall seed after qualifying as champions of the NCCAA Central Regional. OBU was placed in Pool "C" along with third-seeded Trinity Christian and seventh-seeded Cincinnati Christian.
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Ruth King continues to lead a strong Lady Bison attack with 10 goals this season.
Kenzi Bice has the team lead with four assists, and
Abigail Hicks has netted six goals while assisting on three more.
Emma Beck has played 18 matches in the net for OBU, allowing 1.35 goals per match while making 87 saves at a .784 save percentage. The Lady Bison enter the tournament on a three-match winning streak, and have a record of 9-1 away from the OBU Soccer Complex this season.
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First up in pool play is the Eagles of Cincinnati Christian Tuesday evening. The Eagles are 10-9-1 this season while competing in the NAIA. CCU has outscored opponents 31-25 and have recorded eight shutouts, which ranks 41st in the NAIA this season. Maren Hance leads the Eagles with six goals, and Stephanie Reece has recorded six assists.
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Wednesday afternoon will see OBU paired against Trinity College. The Trolls have a record of 10-6-3 while scoring 2.53 goals per match. Jessica Bianchi and Kayla Diemer lead the Trolls attack, with Bianchi scoring 15 goals to lead the team. Diemer has scored 14 goals and registered 10 assists to pace the team.
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The winner of Pool "C" will advance to the semifinal round along with the other two pool winners and a fourth at-large team. Both semifinal matches will be played Friday afternoon with the NCCAA Championship taking place at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.
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