Women's Soccer

WCU & Life Advance To SSAC Women's Soccer Championship Game

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Top seeds William Carey and Life advanced to the finals of the 2026 SSAC Women’s Soccer Championship, presented by Chappy’s Deli. 

Both teams picked up shutout victories in Thursday’s semifinal matchups. This will be the fourth time in the last five championships that the two teams have meet in the finals, with William Carey winning the previous three meetings by scores of 2-0, 2-0 and 3-0.

#1 William Carey def. #4 Xavier 3-0
  • Kayla Martin scored her ninth goal of the season at 19:29, assisted by Mia Encinia and Paloma Paris, for a 1-0 halftime lead.
  • Sara Aguirre extended the lead to 2-0 at 70:58 with an unassisted goal, her 13th of the season.
  • Martin added her 10th goal of the season at 84:46, with assists from Maddie Davis and Alba Aguado.
  • Alicia Garwood completed the shutout with five saves, including four after halftime as Xavier attempted eight second-half shots.
  • Aylin Yildirim made four saves for Xavier, while Julia Gurgel and Maureen Owusu each attempted two shots.
  • William Carey finished with a 17-11 advantage in shots and a 3-1 edge in corner kicks.
  • Raquel Diaz and Martin each attempted four shots for William Carey, while Eduarda Queiroz led Xavier with four.
  • William Carey finished the match with a 12-1 conference record, while Xavier stood at 10-2-1 in conference play.
#2 Life def. #3 UT Southern 1-0
  • Linn Joelsson scored unassisted at 44:02, her fifth goal of the season, sending Life into halftime ahead 1-0.
  • Elora Niederpruem made three saves over 90 minutes, including one after halftime, to earn the shutout.
  • Sam De Gier recorded five saves for Tennessee Southern, stopping three shots in the first half and two in the second.
  • Life outshot Tennessee Southern 15-5 overall and 8-2 in a scoreless second half.
  • Victoria Valles led Life with four shots, Louise Martineau added three and Caroline White finished with two.
  • Mia Saum, Luella Cramer, Kamilia Tayebi, Ellie Walker and Lily Davies each recorded one shot for Tennessee Southern.
  • Life’s Ava Brundidge received a yellow card at 52:57, and Tennessee Southern received a team yellow card at 79:29.
  • Life held a 5-4 edge in corner kicks, with each team taking two in the second half.