DENVER, Colo. – Omaha's Emilie Erland broke a scoreless tie with her header in the 83^rd minute to lift the fourth-seeded Mavericks past fifth-seeded South Dakota in a #SummitWSOC quarterfinal match played Friday afternoon at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. It marks the fourth straight semifinal appearance for Omaha.

???Highlights from the Mavericks' 2-0 victory over the South Dakota Coyotes in the quarterfinal match of @TheSummitLeague Championship!

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??? Sunday, Oct. 29#OmahaWSOC | #ReachTheSummit pic.twitter.com/OFe7UBNPSe

— Omaha Women's Soccer (@OmahaWSOC) October 28, 2023

 
The Mavericks led the way in the first half with a pair of shots on goal, including back-to-back shots on goal with six corner kicks. The Coyotes matched Omaha with five total shots in the first half and just one shot on goal.
 
South Dakota’s defense responded well to start the second half with a key save from goalkeeper Caroline Lewis until Erland broke through with her third goal of the season. Grace Ostergaard, an All-Summit League first team honoree, was credited with the assist on a perfect cross.

Offensive Player of the Year Sophia Green added an insurance goal in the 87^th minute to put the Mavericks up 2-0 and seal the victory. Her goal was her league-leading 10^th of the season.

Omaha will play No. 1 seed Denver in a semifinal match Sunday with kickoff set for 1 p.m. MT on the Pioneers’ home field.
 
Turning Point

• With less than less than eight minutes left in regulation, Ostergaard fed Erland on a perfect cross and headed the ball in the back of the net.

Inside the box score

• Erland’s game-winning goal was her first of the season and marks the second consecutive tournament that she scored a game-winning goal. Her previous game-winning goal came against North Dakota in last year’s quarterfinals.
• Ostergaard recorded her team tying-high fifth assist of the season.
• Mia Reedtz Rehde Olesen notched her fourth shutout in her fifth start of the season for the Mavericks.

News & Notes

• This is the fourth straight season that Omaha earned a trip to the Summit League semifinals.
• The Mavericks will play Denver in the championships for the first time since the 2020 title match. The Pioneers came away with the tournament title with a 3-0 final.
• These two squads played to a 0-0 draw during a regular season meeting in Omaha on Oct. 1.
• Omaha improved to 21-3-3 all-time against USD.
• The Mavericks collected their sixth shutout of the season.

#SummitWSOC