Tuesday, May 21
Fayetteville, Ark. (Blessings Golf Club)
All Day
Wake Forest University
vs
NCAA Championship
Deacs Down Arkansas 3-2 to Advance to NCAA Semifinals
5/21/2019 11:10:00 PM | Women's Golf
JOHNSON, Ark. – The Wake Forest women's golf team advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Championship with a 3-2 quarterfinal win over host Arkansas on Monday at the Blessings Golf Club. The Demon Deacons got victories from Emilia Migliaccio, Siyun Liu and Jennifer Kupcho to edge the Razorbacks.
The Demon Deacons, making their first appearance in match play since the NCAA adopted the format in 2015, will play Auburn in Wednesday morning's semifinals. Duke and Arizona will play in the other semifinal, with the winners meeting in the afternoon for the NCAA Championship.
"I say it all year, but this is the moment we train for," said head coach Kim Lewellen. "Arkansas is an incredible team, playing on their home course. For these young ladies to do what they did, against such a strong opponent on their course, it says a lot about their character. They went out and did their job, did it well, and had a blast doing it."
The match started early in the morning, but only a few holes had been played when the inclement weather struck and forced a six-hour delay. The Deacs were ahead in three of the five matches when play was stopped.
When play resumed, the Deacs continued their strong play, taking the lead in all five matches at some point in the afternoon. Migliaccio gave Wake Forest the first point on the board with a dominant 6&4 victory over Ximena Gonzalez.
Arkansas drew even in the match as Brooke Matthews edged Letizia Bagnoli 1UP. Bagnoli led 3UP after eight holes before Matthews made a charge to take a 1UP lead after 14 holes. On the next-to-last hole, Bagnoli drew even with a hole-in-one, the first of her career. On the last hole, Matthews made birdie and won the match when Bagnoli's birdie putt lipped out.
The Razorbacks took a 2-1 lead when Maria Fassi downed Vanessa Knecht 2&1. Knecht had a 1UP lead after 12 holes against the NCAA individual champion, before Fassi rallied late to give Arkansas a second point.
Liu was in a tight match with Dylan Kim, which was all square on the back nine until Kim took at 1UP lead on No. 6 (their 15th hole of the round). Liu answered with a birdie on No. 7 to draw even and another on No. 8 to take a 1UP lead. On the last hole, both players made birdie as Liu clinched a 1UP win to tie the team match.
In the final match on the course, Kupcho led Kaylee Benton throughout the match and was 3UP with four holes to play. Benton rallied to win two of the next three holes and Kupcho went to the last hole with a 1UP lead. Both players had short birdie putts and when Kupcho made hers, she clinched the 1UP victory and the Demon Deacons' spot in the semifinals.
"This is the first year I have coached these young ladies and we have been in similar situations, just not at this magnitude," said Lewellen. "Swing (Liu) asked me how the matches stood and I told her. She realized really quickly what she needed to do on hole seven, and she turned it up a notch. Her ball-striking was so good as she birdied the last three holes to win her match. I am so proud of all these girls in how they competed and I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
The semifinal matches will start at 7 a.m. CT (8 a.m. ET) with live coverage on Golf Channel. The semifinal winners will play in the championship match, scheduled for 2:25 p.m. CT (3:25 ET), also airing on Golf Channel.
WAKE FOREST 3, ARKANSAS 2
NCAA Quarterfinal | May 21 | Blessings Golf Club
Brooke Matthews (Ark) def. Letizia Bagnoli (WF) 1UP
Maria Fassi (Ark) def. Vanessa Knecht (WF) 2&1
Siyun Liu (WF) def. Dylan Kim (Ark) 1UP
Emilia Migliaccio (WF) def. Ximena Gonzalez (Ark) 6&4
Jennifer Kupcho (WF) def. Kaylee Benton (Ark) 1UP
The Demon Deacons, making their first appearance in match play since the NCAA adopted the format in 2015, will play Auburn in Wednesday morning's semifinals. Duke and Arizona will play in the other semifinal, with the winners meeting in the afternoon for the NCAA Championship.
"I say it all year, but this is the moment we train for," said head coach Kim Lewellen. "Arkansas is an incredible team, playing on their home course. For these young ladies to do what they did, against such a strong opponent on their course, it says a lot about their character. They went out and did their job, did it well, and had a blast doing it."
The match started early in the morning, but only a few holes had been played when the inclement weather struck and forced a six-hour delay. The Deacs were ahead in three of the five matches when play was stopped.
When play resumed, the Deacs continued their strong play, taking the lead in all five matches at some point in the afternoon. Migliaccio gave Wake Forest the first point on the board with a dominant 6&4 victory over Ximena Gonzalez.
Arkansas drew even in the match as Brooke Matthews edged Letizia Bagnoli 1UP. Bagnoli led 3UP after eight holes before Matthews made a charge to take a 1UP lead after 14 holes. On the next-to-last hole, Bagnoli drew even with a hole-in-one, the first of her career. On the last hole, Matthews made birdie and won the match when Bagnoli's birdie putt lipped out.
The Razorbacks took a 2-1 lead when Maria Fassi downed Vanessa Knecht 2&1. Knecht had a 1UP lead after 12 holes against the NCAA individual champion, before Fassi rallied late to give Arkansas a second point.
Liu was in a tight match with Dylan Kim, which was all square on the back nine until Kim took at 1UP lead on No. 6 (their 15th hole of the round). Liu answered with a birdie on No. 7 to draw even and another on No. 8 to take a 1UP lead. On the last hole, both players made birdie as Liu clinched a 1UP win to tie the team match.
In the final match on the course, Kupcho led Kaylee Benton throughout the match and was 3UP with four holes to play. Benton rallied to win two of the next three holes and Kupcho went to the last hole with a 1UP lead. Both players had short birdie putts and when Kupcho made hers, she clinched the 1UP victory and the Demon Deacons' spot in the semifinals.
"This is the first year I have coached these young ladies and we have been in similar situations, just not at this magnitude," said Lewellen. "Swing (Liu) asked me how the matches stood and I told her. She realized really quickly what she needed to do on hole seven, and she turned it up a notch. Her ball-striking was so good as she birdied the last three holes to win her match. I am so proud of all these girls in how they competed and I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
The semifinal matches will start at 7 a.m. CT (8 a.m. ET) with live coverage on Golf Channel. The semifinal winners will play in the championship match, scheduled for 2:25 p.m. CT (3:25 ET), also airing on Golf Channel.
WAKE FOREST 3, ARKANSAS 2
NCAA Quarterfinal | May 21 | Blessings Golf Club
Brooke Matthews (Ark) def. Letizia Bagnoli (WF) 1UP
Maria Fassi (Ark) def. Vanessa Knecht (WF) 2&1
Siyun Liu (WF) def. Dylan Kim (Ark) 1UP
Emilia Migliaccio (WF) def. Ximena Gonzalez (Ark) 6&4
Jennifer Kupcho (WF) def. Kaylee Benton (Ark) 1UP
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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