Hawks Teams’ Fall in NCAA Tournament
By: David Jacob
Both the men’s and women’s teams fell in the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament this past weekend.
The men returned to Kansas City, MO to play Cedarville University. The Yellow Jackets won the game 3-0 and the Hawks’ season was complete. They ended up on the season with a record of 12-7-2.
The Hawks were plagued with injuries and never were able to build any momentum. Cedarville outshot the Hawks 13-5 and had the edge in corner kicks 8-3.
“I will always remember this team,” said senior Ben Oliver. “The resiliency was one of a kind and I established such a brotherhood with these guys.”
The Lady Hawks traveled all the way up to Allendale, MI to face the University of Missouri-St. Louis in their opening round game. They won that game 1-0 and moved on to face the defending National Champions, Grand Valley State University.
Sophomore Mackenzie Rief scored the lone goal in the opening game.
The Lady Hawks after their 1-0 victory over UMSL. They ended their season 14-4-4 and returned back to the NCAA Tournament.
The next game against GVSU was a completely dominating game by the Lakers as they won 6-0 and outshot the Hawks 35-9.
“We knew we were up for the biggest challenge of the year,” said sophomore Megan Swanson.
The Lady Hawks won the season opener 3-0 against GVSU, but the Lakers have not lost or tied a game since, outscoring their opponents 93-4 and going 20-0-0.
“We knew they wanted revenge on us and they outplayed us in every aspect of the game,” said senior Ashley Burton. “I’m glad I could be part of such a great program these last four years.
Burton’s senior campaign ended on a high note. She led the Lady Hawks with 14 goals, 6 assists and 34 points
The Lady Hawks finished the season with a record of 14-4-4 and made a trip back to the NCAA Tournament after an absence last year.
Grand Valley State moves on to the round of 16 against Bellarmine and looks to defend their two straight National Championships.
Click below for the updated NCAA Tournament brackets:
