Madison nips Rock Valley for Region IV title

In a rubbermatch between two programs that had each won on the other's home pitch, Madison College continued that trend Wednesday with a narrow 1-0 defeat Rock Valley College to claim the 2019 NJCAA Region IV Division III Women's Soccer Championship. Freshman Emma Strieker notched the game-winner midway through the second half to give the #2 WolfPack the win over the #1 Golden Eagles, and a second region crown in three years.

The two nationally ranked teams were meeting for the first time ever in a region title match and held each other scoreless through the first half. In the second half, Strieker, a midfielder from Janesville, Wisconsin, re-entered the game 65', and eight minutes later converted a pass from Grace Bujan that proved to be the game-winner. It was also Strieker's first career goal. Sophomore goalkeeper Kelly Kubicek made two saves in earning her ninth shutout of the season, which set a new single-season school record. Streiker was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player, and coach Matt Schwartz was awarded the Region IV Coach of the Year.

The loss snapped a ten-match win streak for Rock Valley College, and ended their season with a 13-3 record.

Madison College improves to 12-3-2 and advances to the NJCAA Great Lakes District Tournament, hosted by Anoka-Ramsey Community College in Blaine, Minnesota. The WolfPack last won the district title in 2017 to earn their first and only appearance at the NJCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championships, which runs November 14-17 in Dryden, New York.

The three-team district tournament at the National Sports Center will be held November 2-3. The schedule is as follows:

Saturday, Nov. 1: Semifinal - Delta College (MI) vs. Madison College @ 1 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 2: Championship - Winner of Semifinal vs. Anoka-Ramsey Community College (MN) @ 1 p.m.

All games will be streamed live here.