June 18, 2007

MILWAUKEE - Two members of the women's soccer team, juniors to be Britni Benage and Katie Kelly, helped their club team the Kansas City Dynamos to the U23 Midwest Title at the U.S. Amateur Soccer Association Midwest Regional Championships recently. The Dynamos went 3-0-1 for the weekend en route to its second Midwest Regional Championship since the team won the title as a U18 team in 2005. With the title, the Dynamos advance to the National Cup Finals the first weekend of August in Seattle, Wash.

The team began on its road to the championship with a 2-1 win over Carmel United (Indiana) where Kelly tallied her first assist of the tournament. After a 1-1 draw with Cincinnati Cup Red, the Dynamos caught first and shut out FC Indiana, 14-0. Benage posted a hat trick in the rout and Kelly dished three assists. In the championship match, a Kelly assisted goal was all the Dynamos needed to hold off St. Louis Busch Soccer Club, 1-0.

Other Marquette players who participated in the tournament were Christy Zwolski and Lauren Weber with Chicago Eclipse, Shannon Cusick, Laura Boyer, Michelle Compty, Kelli DeBarge and Allison Mallams with Milwaukee Bavarians, and Katie Miller and Anna Sawicki with FC Milwaukee.

Katie Kelly contributed five assists for the tournament including one that setup the game-winning goal in the title match.