Women's Soccer Falls to Centre; Bilka Breaks Single-Season Points Record

DANVILLE, KY – The Centre women's soccer team defeated Penn State Behrend 3-1 in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon.

The Colonels (18-1-1) won its 10^th straight game, scoring two goals in the first eight minutes of the game and then adding an insurance goal in the second half to advance to the NCAA second round. Three different players scored for Centre and Destinie Graves tallied two assists in the win.

Junior Alex Bilka, the AMCC Offensive Player of the Year, scored the lone goal for the Lions (13-8) to break the single-season points record and end the season with 17 goals and 11 assists for 45 points. The previous record was set at 44 by Hall of Famer, Holly Greiner Jennings.

Centre struck early and often to get a 2-0 cushion at the 7:35 mark of the first half. Alex Combs scored the first goal off a feed from Graves, before Graves found Shannon Murray in the box for the second goal five minutes later.

Bilka had a chance to get Behrend on the board in the first half, but her half breakaway shot was stopped by Olivia Alford to keep the lead at 2-0 heading into intermission.

The Colonels continued to use their strength and speed in the second half to get their third straight goal in the 61^st minute. Sarah Waldo found an open Nancy Ingham to make it 3-0.

The Lions kept battling and got on the scoreboard at the 66:31 mark. Olivia Belack (Upper St. Clair, PA/Upper St. Clair) picked off a pass from the midfield and sent a left-footed ball over the defense to find Bilka. Substitute goalie Holly Hilton came out and Bilka chipped it over her for a 3-1 deficit.

After scoring, Bilka had another shot for a second goal but her shot trickled wide of the goal by a few inches.

Taylor Troyan (Butler, PA/Butler) made six saves in goal for Behrend.

The Lions finished with a 13-8 overall record while capturing their fifth straight AMCC Championship.