The Lowdown: Friends University vs. No. 7 Oklahoma Wesleyan University

* KCAC Postseason Tournament Semifinal

Location: Scheels Stryker Sports Complex, Wichita, Kan.

Kickoff: Nov. 8, 5:00 pm

Live Broadcast: https://kcacnetwork.com/friends/

Live Stats: https://friendsathletics.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary

Flying with the Falcons (13-5-1, 9-3-1 KCAC)

For the second straight match Keily Larosee scored two goals to provide the difference between winning and losing for the Friends University Falcons, this time in a 2-1 victory over the University of Saint Mary Spires in the KCAC postseason tournament quarterfinals. The fourth-seeded Falcons are now 13-5-1 overall this season.

Larosee leads the team and ranks second in the KCAC with 16 scores on the season, while Anahi Ibarra-Arevalo is tied for third in the league with six assists. Kieley Aranda ranks second on the Falcons with five goals following her two-goal effort in a 2-0 victory at Kansas Wesleyan University (Oct. 26).

Morgan Wilkinson has made 40 saves with a 1.55 goals-against-average in nearly 872 minutes and Nia Baker has recorded 35 saves with an 0.84 GAA in over 838 minutes in the net for the Falcons.  Baker's 0.86 GAA currently ranks third in the KCAC.

Dish on the Eagles (16-0-3, 12-0-1 KCAC)

The No. 7-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles are unbeaten on the season with a 16-0-3 overall record and a 12-0-1 league mark.

Tania Mocholi is the anchor of the Eagles' offensive attack, leading the KCAC with 24 goals and ranking second in the league with nine assists. Taylor Witthauer gives OKWU a potent 1-2 combo and is tied for third in the KCAC in both goals (12) and assists (six).

Carlota Alcalde leads the nation with a 0.17 GAA and has made 36 saves on the season.  

The Series: The Falcons are 4-12-1 vs. the Eagles since 2004 after OKWU won the regular season meeting 3-0 in Wichita. The two teams also met at Stryker in the KCAC championship match last season, with the Eagles prevailing 2-0. The regular season outing was scoreless until Alana Doherty scored with one second left in the first half off a corner kick to give the Eagles the lead. Mocholi then scored two goals in the second half to finish the win for OKWU.

Life Goals: The KCAC semifinal matchup between the Falcons and Eagles will feature the top three goal scorers in the conference. Tania Mocholi leads the league with 24 goals, followed by Keily Larosee with 16.  Taylor Witthauer is also tied for third with 12 goals on the season.

Distribution Center: Four of the league's top five assist leaders in the KCAC will be on hand in the Falcons and Eagles semifinal bout. Tania Mocholi is second in the league with nine assists, followed by Anahi Ibarra-Arevalo, Taylor Witthauer and Laura Gieseler each with six assists this season.

Just Take Me Half the Way: The Falcons have won all eight matches when holding a lead at halftime but are 1-3 when trailing at the break.  When the match is tied at halftime, the Falcons have a record of 4-2-1. The Falcons' 2-1 win over Saint Mary Tuesday evening (Nov. 5) in the quarterfinals was the first time all season they rallied to win after facing a deficit at the half.

The Coaches:

Brent Hobson enters his 11th season leading the Falcons women's soccer team for the 2024 season.

After failing to qualify for the NAIA National Tournament for 15 seasons, Hobson has now guided the Falcons to three national appearances in the past five years.

The Falcons recorded a 13-5-4 record last season and their first conference unbeaten season (10-0-3) in the modern era that resulted in a second-place finish in the KCAC and another berth into the NAIA National Tournament. The 13 victories in 2023 also represented the Falcons' third-straight double-digit victory season.

In 2021, Hobson coached the Falcons to a runner-up regular season finish in the conference and mentored KCAC Freshman of the Year Keily Larosee and the league's top newcomer Elyssa Salazar.

Hobson guided the Falcons to a breakthrough 2019 campaign, finishing second in the league and advancing to the NAIA National Tournament for the first time in 15 years to earn KCAC Coach of the Year honors.  He coached eight All-KCAC performers that season, including two-time Goalkeeper of the Year Lauren Ferguson while guiding the team to the conference tournament championship game.

Ivan Ristic is in his sixth season as head coach of the Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles.

Ristic enjoyed immediate success at the helm, guiding the Eagles to both the KCAC regular season and tournament championships in his first season on the bench.

Since then, Ristic and the Eagles have won the double conference championships every season and received the NAIA National Tournament appearances that went with it. Two years ago, the Eagles advanced to the NAIA national quarterfinal round.

Women's Soccer Falcons by the Numbers:

Overall: 13-5-1

KCAC: 9-3-1

Home: 6-1-1

Away: 7-4

Scoring one goal: 4-1

Scoring two goals: 5-0

Scoring three goals: 1-0

Scoring 4+ goals: 3-0

Allowing one goal: 3-1

Allowing two goals: 1-1

Allowing three goals: 0-1

Allowing 4+ goals: 0-2

Leading at halftime: 8-0

Trailing at halftime: 1-3

Tied at halftime: 4-2-1

Leading in shots-on-goal: 10-2

Trailing in shots-on-goal: 2-3-1

Shots-on-goal are even: 1-0