For the third time in the last four seasons, the Dominican University women’s soccer team fell to the Aurora University Spartans in the championship round of the Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) Women’s Soccer Tournament, falling 2-1 in Aurora on Friday afternoon. The loss closes the 2010 campaign for the Stars who set the program record for wins with a 15-5-1 overall record.

The Spartans drew first blood, netting the game’s first goal in the 45^th minute after a Dominican University foul gave Aurora a restart opportunity just outside the 18-yard box with the first half drawing to a close. Junior goalkeeper Megan Schulz (Redford, Mich.) made the initial save off the direct kick opportunity but it was Aurora’s Anya Vincenti that fought through the pile in front of the goal to knock the ball into the goal.

Trailing 1-0 into the 63^rd minute, Dominican evened the score on a restart opportunity of its own as junior defender Liz Phipps (Bloomington, Ill.) drove a ball right on target to Liz Ficek (Bloomington, Ill.) who flicked the ball behind the Spartan defense. Junior Nallely Arreola (Waukegan, Ill.) notched her second goal of the season as she won the footrace and chipped a shot around Aurora’s Nicky Cardon to net the equalizer.

The score remained tied into the final four minutes of regulation despite a number of quality scoring opportunities for both sides before Aurora’s Sarah Boniface sprung loose up the middle of the field before playing a perfect ball to Aurora’s Jordan Joyce along the right flank. Joyce ripped a shot past Schulz who had come off her line leaving the goal open for Joyce’s 15^th goal of the season.

Schulz made six saves on the afternoon as Aurora outshot the Stars 17-13. Dominican had a 6-5 advantage in corner kick opportunities, with all six Stars’ corners coming in the first 45 minutes.

With the win the Spartans captured the NAC Tournament Title for the fourth time in five years and earn the NAC’s automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship.