RIVER FALLS, Wis. - A tough defense and a red card advanced the UW-Eau Claire soccer team to the second round of the NCAA Championships today with a 2-0 victory over Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.) at Ramer Field.

This is the second year in a row Eau Claire has advanced past the first round.

The defense was crucial in a scoreless first half that saw the Cobbers outshoot 16th-ranked Eau Claire 5-to-4 with Allie Rivard (So.-Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) making four saves. Concordia's Britt Reiersgord did not have to stop any shots.

The Blugolds committed seven fouls in the half compared to one for the Cobbers, but neither team could capitalize on any opportunities and went into halftime with a 0-0 game.

The evenly contested second half saw seven shots for both sides with the first one finding net at 60:40. Emily Meisinger (Sr.-Green Bay, Wis./Notre Dame Academy) drove to the goal to put up a shot when Cobbers goalie Reiersgord tripped her, drawing a red card and a removal from the game.

With Ashley Liegakos replacing Reiersgord between the Cobber posts, Meisinger attempted her penalty kick. An outstretched Liegakos knocked the ball down, but Meisinger went in for the rebound and put the ball in the net for the first score of the game.

An insurance goal occurred 81:15 into the regional matchup to give Eau Claire some breathing room. Anna Talbot (Jr.-Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) sent in the unassisted shot straight out from the goal at the top of the box.

Liegakos had no chance as the ball sailed in just under the crossbar. The Blugolds held on to the two-goal advantage and moved to round two of the national championships.

For the game, the Cobbers put up 12 shots to the Blugold 11. Rivard made four saves in each half while the three Cobber saves went to Liegakos in the second half.

The eight Concordia shots on goal tie for the most Eau Claire has given up this season while the 12 shots overall rank second most on the year. The Blugolds gave up 16 shots and eight shots on goal in a 2-1 win over Loras College (Iowa) earlier this season.

Eau Claire was whistled for 12 fouls today while Concordia had four.

This is the second time in as many years Eau Claire has advanced to the second round. Last year the Blugolds moved past Augustana College (Ill.) on a 4-3 shootout after 110 scoreless minutes.

They then fell 2-1 to Wheaton College (Ill.) in overtime to end the season. This year's national championship run is the second in Eau Claire history.

The Blugolds await their next opponent, which is the winner of the match between Augustana and Grinnell College (Iowa). The match starts at 2 p.m. today. The winner will then face Eau Claire Sunday at 1 p.m. at Ramer Field in River Falls. The new location is due to the heavy snowfall the Eau Claire area received recently.

Eau Claire-Concordia-Moorhead Regional Box Score

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