WKU’s Historic Season Comes to a Close in CUSA Championship Against Liberty

WKU Athletics Media Release

NEWARK, Del. – The Hilltoppers (13-2-6) fell to No. 1 Liberty in the CUSA Championship, 3-1, Friday afternoon in Newark, Delaware. WKU concludes the season with the fifth most wins and tied for the fewest losses in program history.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The top two seeds of the tournament battled it out in the opening minutes of the match. Liberty threatened first in the eighth minute with a shot, but a diving save to the left from Mia Riddick kept the match scoreless. WKU responded with back-to-back shots from Makenna Egan and Georgia Liapis, however, both were blocked. Gaining control of the match, Liapis received the ball near the top of the box and fired a shot to the left, which deflected off the diving goalkeeper’s hands to secure a corner kick. On the corner, Liapis sent the ball directly in front of the goal for Egan. Her initial shot was saved, but Egan managed to fight her way through the Flames defenders to get off another shot, this time finding the back of the net and giving the Tops the lead. The WKU defense held strong throughout the remainder of the half, allowing Liberty only one shot on goal.

The fight for the title continued in the second half. Looking for the equalizer, Liberty came out applying increased offensive pressure. In the 59th minute, the Flames made a strong drive, creating space for an open shot to get on the board. The Flames managed to double their lead with 15 minutes remaining after capitalizing off a WKU miscue. Shortly after, Riddick made another diving save, but the call was reversed due to a WKU handball, resulting in a penalty kick that gave the Flames their third goal. With their season on the line, the Hilltoppers made one final offensive push but were unsuccessful. WKU would go on to fall to Liberty, 3-1.

QUOTABLE

“I’m so proud of this team and all that we accomplished this season,” said Head Coach Jason Neidell. “Our players in their final year left it all on the field this tournament, and we couldn’t be more grateful for their contributions to this program. We will be back better and stronger next year with this experience under our belt. Liberty played a great second half today and deserved the win. They are a class act and will represent our conference well in the NCAA tournament.”

NOTABLES

• The Hilltoppers’ 13 wins this season are tied for fifth-most in program history and are the most since joining CUSA in 2014
• WKU advanced to the finals for just the fourth time in program history and the first time in CUSA
• The Hilltoppers allowed only 14 goals this season, a mark that is third in program history
• WKU’s .750 winning percentage is tied for second in WKU program history
• Forward Makenna Egan scored her 11th goal of the season, moving her to fourth in program history for single-season goals
• Redshirt senior Mia Riddick recorded a career-high nine saves in the match, bringing her season total to 58
• Riddick finished the season with a 0.57 GAA, placing her third in program history
• Defender Abby Widermann played the full-90 minutes for the 12th time this season
• WKU moves to 1-2-1 against Liberty all-time.