ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — Ten-seed Oregon Tech (20-2-1) will continue its improbable postseason run after knocking off two-seed Spring Arbor of Michigan (19-2-1) 1-0 on Thursday evening. The victory is the Owls' third-straight upset in the tournament as OIT improves its unbeaten streak to 16 consecutive matches.
The Owls face the winner of No. 6 seed Marian (Ind.) and No. 3-seeded Tennessee Southern, a match that will be played Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Pacific.
"I am so proud of the will to win we showed today against a very good Spring Arbor team," said head coach Casey Tate. "They are a fantastic program that has accomplished a lot. The team played together and gave everything to pull off the victory! We defended well as a group and another senior Amanda Seward scored the winner! Need to recovery and get ready for another top opponent on Saturday."
In the first half, each side came out with a resolute defensive shape, limiting the opportunities for either team's attacker to see a clear chance, but the Owls turned it on in the second half.
After 59 minutes of back-and-forth defense, Amanda Seward broke through, redirecting a ball inside the box into the upper corner. Seward saw her initial shot off a Tech corner kick deflected, but the second opportunity fell right to her feet and she made no mistake., marking her third of the season.
Tech continued to defend at a high level for the remainder of the second half, holding out for the 1-0 victory.