Buhler High School alumnus Aubrey Tanksley and the Washburn University Ichabods from Topeka are headed back to the Final 4 of the NCAA Division II National Tournament for the second time in school history.
The Ichabods lost 1-0 to Point Loma in the 2023 NCAA II championship game.
Tanksley, a 5-foot-6 senior forward from Hutchinson, scored the first of three Washburn goals to help the Ichabods post a 3-2 win over the University of Missouri-St. Louis Saturday in the NCAA II Central Regional finals in St. Louis.
It was Tanksley’s second goal of the season and seventh of her career.
Tanksley played her freshman year at Weber State University. After the COVID-19 pandemic canceled her sophomore season at Weber State, she transferred to Washburn and has been an Ichabod for three seasons.
Shaye Taylor scored the second Washburn goal. Missouri-State. Louis tied the score 2-2 with goals in the 51st and 58th minutes.
Leah Henke scored the game-deciding goal for the Icahbods in the 62nd minute.
The win marked Washburn’s fourth straight victory in the national tournament. The Ichabods also knocked off No. 5 Missouri Western, No. 1 Minnesota State and No. 3 St. Cloud State en route to the regional championship game.
Washburn advances to the NCAA Division II National Semifinal Thursday in Colorado Springs along with Franklin Pierce, Florida Tech and defending national champion Cal Poly Pomona.
The semifinals will be played at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Central time on Thursday.
The semifinal winners will play for the NCAA II women’s championship at 2 p.m. Saturday.
The NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Final Four matches are not on traditional television. ESPN Networks (such as ESPNU) will cover NCAA women’s Division I matches.
The Final Four matches will be streamed for free on the NCAA Championships Pass app (via Hudl) on devices like Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV and smart TVs.
