SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford women's soccer team advanced to the Southern Conference quarterfinals on Tuesday evening at Snyder Field after dramatic goals by Ines Obradovac and Ellie Gower lifted the Terriers to a 2-1 victory over The Citadel. The No. 8 Terriers will play No. 1 Samford on Friday, October 31, in Birmingham.

Wofford had strong momentum coming into tonight's match as they sought to continue their unbeaten streak into the opening round of the conference tournament. The team's strong confidence helped boost the Terriers' morale on the front line. Despite the Bulldogs' striking with two shots to start the half, the Terriers didn't break as each attempt was pushed out wide.

Senior Ellie Gower had the first chance for Wofford to take the lead, but her shot was blocked by the Citadel's defense. This didn't stop the Terriers but pushed them to be consistent in their attacks on the Bulldogs. As the clock approached the 16^th minute, Delaney Minor pushed the free kick to the feet of Julia Grier, who had a quick pass and crossed it deep into the box to Obradovac. Obradovac would nail the ball high into the net to give the Terriers the 1-0 lead in the opening round.

The remainder of the half would see a physical fight for possession between Wofford and The Citadel. However, the Terriers would keep strong seeing three more shot opportunities, two by Grier in the 22^nd and 37^th minutes and one by Obradovac in the 30^th. Each of their attempts were either saved by The Citadel's Zoe Santos or blocked by the Bulldogs' defense.

Wofford ended the half with the advantage over The Citadel, as the Terriers recorded six shots, three on goal, compared to the Bulldogs' eight shots, two on goal. Current SoCon Defensive Player of the Week Elizabeth Navola and Santos would each have two saves.

Coming back from the halftime break, the Bulldogs took the upper hand trying to fight for their first goal of the match. The Citadel's offense came out strong striking back-to-back shot attempts. The Terriers held their backline firm and pushed the Bulldogs away from the box. In the 53^rd minute, Obradovac would see another chance to record her first brace of the season, but her attempt was saved by Santos.

Obradovac's attempt sparked momentum in the Terriers' front line. Just two minutes later as the match entered the 55^th minute, Obradovac would pass the ball off to the team's assist leader Gower. From midfield, Gower would take the ball and kick it high away from The Citadel's Santos to reach the back of the net to give the Terriers a 2-0 lead.

"I've been really wanting a goal," Gower said. "It was the best feeling ever. What a way to go out at Snyder Field."

With the conference quarterfinals berth on the line, the Bulldogs amped up their offense, fighting for consistency in the Terriers' box. In the 67^th minute, Wofford's defense let an opening come through for the Bulldogs, allowing them to strike high in the net. The Citadel would bring the match to a 2-1 score.

The Terriers switched to a more all-hands-on-deck defense approach in the final 20 minutes of the match to steer the Bulldogs away from an equalizer. Despite The Citadel's persistence in Wofford's box, the Terriers had a controlled defense to block off the Bulldogs' attempts.

The match would end with the Terriers only seeing nine shots, five on goal, compared to the Bulldogs' 25 shots, seven on goal. Navola had five saves, while The Citadel's Santos had three.

Notes:
Gower recorded her first goal of the season and first in a conference tournament match.

The last time Gower scored a goal was on October 15, 2023, when the Terriers played The Citadel in regular season.

Gower now sits with one goal and four assists in conference play so far this season.

Obradovac scored her second game-winning goal of the season and seventh of her career. This lifts Obradovac to a tie for fourth in program history for game-winning goals.

Obradovac also scored her fourth goal of the season and 18^th of her career. She is now tied for seventh in program history in career goals.

This will be the fourth consecutive season the Terriers have reached the quarterfinals of the SoCon Tournament.

The No. 8 Terriers will continue their post-season run in Birmingham, Alabama, as they face off against the No. 1 seed Samford at 4 p.m. CT (5 p.m. ET), streaming exclusively on ESPN +.