(Sugar Grove, IL) –Waubonsee Community College's women's soccer team has advanced to the Region IV Tournament title match for the 10^th time in the last 12 years. The Chiefs earned another berth in the finals with a hard fought 4-3 victory over visiting Bryant & Stratton College from Wisconsin on Wednesday afternoon. The Chiefs, now 9-1-1 overall on the coronavirus abbreviated 2021 Spring season, are set to host the College of Lake County in the championship game this coming Sunday, May 23 beginning at noon. Waubonsee enters the match ranked 12^th nationally in the latest NJCAA Division II poll, while the Lancers (7-1) are ranked 10^th in the country.

The Bobcats (6-3-1), ranked 20^th nationally entering the game against the Chiefs, struck first when a miscommunication between Chiefs' keeper Daisy Quinonez and a Waubonsee defender left the goal open. Heliamar Alvarado, a freshman from Venezuela, maneuvered around the duo and drilled a shot into the empty net from five yards out in the 17^th minute. Waubonsee knotted the score at one in the 23^rd minute when Rachel Polignone delivered a pass from the right side to Olivia McPherson on the opposite side of the 18-yard box. McPherson bodied the ball up, gained control and then blasted a shot past Bobcats' keeper Paola Araujo from eight yards outs.

The Chiefs kept the pressure on the Bobcats' defense and jumped in front a minute and a half later. A foul by Bryant & Stratton gave Waubonsee a free kick from 40 yards out. Kiara McPherson then lofted a shot to about 10 yards out in front of the goal that her twin sister Olivia went up for and headed the ball to the right side of the goalmouth. Araujo, a freshman from Mesquite, Texas, dove in vain as Katie Jones tapped the ball into the right corner of the goal.

Waubonsee took that 2-1 lead into halftime and then quickly added to it just two minutes into the second period. Olivia McPherson tallied her 21st goal of the season, drilling a shot in from 15 yards out off of an assist from Yari Aguado. The pair of goals moved McPherson into a tie for second nationally among all NJCAA Division II players in goals scored. The freshman from Aurora West High School is also third nationally in points with 46 on the season. The Chiefs had several additional scoring opportunities early in the second half, but could not add to their lead, leaving the door open for Bryant & Stratton to rally.

The Bobcats pulled within a goal as Alvarado netted her second goal of the game, and seventh of the season. Intercepting a corner kick in front of the goal, the freshman forward went up in a crowd and scored off of a header in the 60^th minute of play. Heliamar booked her third goal 10 minutes later to tie the score, blasting a shot into the top shelf from 15 yards away just out of the reach of Quinonez.

Waubonsee had a prime opportunity to regain the lead in the 74^th minute when Olivia McPherson was knocked down resulting in a free kick for the Chiefs from 25 yards out. With the wind at her back Kiara McPherson lofted a shot that Araujo jumped and initially had a handle on, but then fumbled the ball out in front of her. Jones quickly smacked the loose ball from point blank range back at Araujo, who grabbed the rebound shot and this time held on just in front of the goal line.

The Chiefs, who controlled much of the action throughout the match while out shooting the Bobcats 21-6, pulled ahead again in the 80^th minute with a little good fortune. From 15 yards out on the left side of the box Aguado drilled a shot on goal toward the upper right corner of the that went through Araujo's hands into the net to put Waubonsee ahead 4-3.

The Chiefs kept the Bobcats at bay the final 10 minutes of play and kept on the offensive attack. Waubonsee scored twice in the last five minutes of the contest, but each goal was waved off due to an off sides call after hitting the back of the net. Olivia McPherson made a sliding kick in front of the goal off a centering pass from Polignone that squirted past Araujo, but was denied the 'hat trick' goal due to a late off sides call. Jones then scored with a minute to go, but again the goal was scratched due to an off sides call.