SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – The second-seeded Lawrence Tech advanced to the semifinals of the WHAC Tournament, putting on a dominant first-half display to defeat seventh-seeded Rochester Christian 4-0.
The Blue Devils wasted no time establishing control, unleashing a relentless offense that found the back of the net four times in the first 45 minutes while holding the Warriors completely scoreless.
It took just 44 seconds for Lawrence Tech to jump on the scoreboard.
Stephanie Crawley found
Presley Jones, who slotted home the game's first goal to put the Blue Devils up 1-0 almost immediately after kickoff.
Despite a handful of offside calls and wide attempts, the Blue Devils kept the pressure high, eventually breaking through for a second time in the 33rd minute when
Kayla Rousseau scored an unassisted goal to make it 2-0. Less than five minutes later,
Abigail Gray extended the cushion to 3-0 with another unassisted strike in the 38th minute.
The first-half onslaught concluded at the 41:23 mark when
Madison Cutler capitalized on an assist from
Hinana Takashima, sending Lawrence Tech into the halftime break with a commanding 4-0 advantage.
The second half proved to be a much more defensive, physical affair. The Blue Devils racked up nine of their 12 total fouls in the final period and
Chloe Abney picked up a yellow card in the 73rd minute.
Though the Warriors generated a few offensive looks—forcing Lawrence Tech starting goalkeeper MC Michalak into two saves, they were unable to crack the Blue Devil defense. Warrior goalkeeper spent a busy 90 minutes between the posts, turning away seven shots to keep the second-half score sheet blank. Lawrence Tech's
Sarah Smith subbed in late to close out the final nine minutes of the combined shutout.
Lawrence Tech completely dictated the pace of the match, out shooting Rochester Christian 21-5 overall and holding an 11-2 advantage in shots on goal.
With the quarterfinal victory, Lawrence Tech moves on to the WHAC Semifinals!
