WS NAIA 2nd Round

Olathe, KS- The forth seeded Houghton Highlanders earned a trip to the quarterfinals of the NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship with a 2-1 overtime victory over host institution and 13th-seeded Park University (Mo.) Thursday night.

Park controlled the pace of play for much of the first half, taking a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute when Maria Ruiz scored her third goal of the tournament off an assist from Sophie Chapman.

In the second half, Houghton grabbed the momentum, out-shooting the Pirates, 12-4, during the final 45 minutes of regulation. The Highlanders scored the equalizer in the 58th minute from Sr. Britany Crozier (Souderton, PA), which was assisted by Sr. Marianne Bonifacio (Portland, OR). In overtime, Houghton needed just 2:35 to score the game-winner as Sr. Bridget Toth (Victor, N.Y.) found the back of the net on an assist from Jr. Bethany Kowalczyk (Waterford, PA) at 92:35.

Houghton (18-1-2) will resume play on Saturday in a quarterfinal match against the winner of No. 5 seed Concordia University (Ore.) and No. 12 seed Oklahoma Christian University beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Houghton College has deep and solid roots in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, where our teams use their commitment to excellence, both on the field-of-play and in the classroom, as a platform for their strong and unique

emphasis on Sports Ministry. Their goal is to make a difference for the Kingdom on campus, in Allegany County, in the Northeast and around the world. Houghton is one of only 13 institutions who have been hand-selected by the NAIA to serve as "Champions of Character" Program Centers, opening the door for Houghton to be a leader, both in the Northeast and nationally, in character education. Through hands-on, innovative community outreach initiatives, Houghton coaches and student-athletes are working together to change the culture of sport and to change our culture through sport.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- November 3, 2006 CONTACT: Glyn Turner 585,567,9648

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- November 3, 2006
CONTACT: Glyn Turner 585,567,9648