GROVE CITY, Pa. (Nov. 1) – The Waynesburg University women's soccer team traveled to Grove City for its first Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) tournament semifinal game since 2012. The Yellow Jackets were tied with the Wolverines in the 47^th minute, but a goal from the top seed in the 71^st propelled the host squad to a 3-1 win.
 
Grove City (13-4-1), which advanced to the title game to face sixth-seeded Franciscan, which upset second-seeded Westminster to reach the championship tilt, opened the scoring just 1:45 into the contest. The Wolverines maintained their lead throughout the remainder of the first half.
 
Waynesburg (9-7-2) knotted things up thanks to senior Kate James (Silver Spring, Md. / St. John's College H.S.), who capped a fantastic senior season with her seventh goal of 2023. Combined with her PAC-leading 10^th assist, James ends the year with 24 points.
 
The Jackets kept the score knotted at 1-1 until late in the 71^st minute, when the Wolverines regained the lead. Grove City added an insurance tally in the 80^th to clinch the win.
 
Though it didn't lead to a victory, Waynesburg held a slim 20-19 edge in total shots, but the home team outdid the Jackets 13-8 in shots on goal. The Orange and Black also held a 7-5 edge in corner kicks.
 
Freshman goalkeeper Alexus Greenlief (Chester, W.Va. / Oak Glen) logged 10 saves over 90 minutes between the pipes. Combined with her shutout performance in a 1-0 victory at Washington & Jefferson in the quarterfinals, the first-year keeper racked up 23 saves in her first playoff run.
 
Though the season ended on a sour note, 2023 will be one to remember for the Jackets, who improved their overall record from 5-7-5 in 2022 to 9-7-2 and saw their PAC record improve from 2-4-4 to 5-3-2. Waynesburg is also expected to return six of tonight's starting 11, all of its keepers and four of its top five point producers.
 
Speaking of scoring, the Jackets jumped from sixth in scoring (1.94) in the conference to second (2.94).