WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The No. 2-seeded Emporia State University Hornets posted a 2-0 victory over the No. 3-seeded Northwest Missouri State University Bearcat women's soccer team in the semifinals of the 2021 MIAA Tournament.
 
No. 17-ranked Emporia State's Mackenzie Dimarco scored the game's first goal with 3:03 remaining in the first half. It was Dimarco's MIAA-leading 20th goal of the year.
 
Northwest was able to limit Dimarco's damage in Friday's match after she had scored a hat trick on eight shots when the teams met Oct. 3 in Maryville, Mo., on the Bearcat Pitch. Dimarco tallied four shots with two of those on-goal in the MIAA semifinal.
 
ESU's Gaby Crowell knocked in a rebound for a goal with 10:06 left in the match to give the Hornets a two-goal cushion.
 
Northwest goalkeeper Ashley Williams made seven saves.
 
Prior to Friday's match, Northwest's fewest shots-on-goal in 2021 was four shots on two occasions – a 1-0 win at Fort Hays State (Oct. 10) and the 4-1 loss to the Hornets (Oct. 3) at home. The last time Northwest was limited to one shot-on-goal came in an 8-0 loss at Central Oklahoma (Oct. 25, 2019).
 
Northwest's nine total shots was the second-lowest output this season. The Bearcats were also held to eight shots in the victory at Fort Hays State.
 
The loss ends Northwest's five-match win streak and drops its record to 13-6-1. Emporia State improves 17-2-1 and will take on the winner of the Central Oklahoma vs. Central Missouri winner on Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
The Bearcats were ranked No. 6 in the latest NCAA Division II Central Region rankings. The 2021 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Selection Show is set for Monday at 5 p.m. (CT) and will be broadcast on NCAA.com.