HOUSTON, Texas - A 33rd-minute goal by WKU's Annah Hopkins was the difference as the Lady Toppers (8-1-2), the top seed in the East Division, defeated No. 4 West seed UAB in the opening quarterfinal game of the 2020 C-USA Women's Soccer Championship at Rice's Holloway Field.

Box Score (PDF)

Hopkins' fourth goal of the season came after the UAB goalkeeper mishandled a loose ball in the box. The ball made its way toward Hopkins, who finished with her right foot.

UAB pressured WKU in the second half, but the Lady Topper defense did not allow an equalizer as goalkeeper Ashley Kobylinski made four saves in the final 45 minutes, including a penalty kick save in the 71st minute against UAB's Kamilah Mustafa. Kobylinski also came up big with saves on shots in the 86th and 88th minutes to preserve the shutout and send the Lady Toppers to the C-USA semifinals on Thursday at 4:30 pm CT against the winner of Charlotte-North Texas.

UAB (8-6-1) finished with a 9-8 shot advantage (5-4 in shots on goal) over the Lady Toppers, but Kobylinski made five saves for her fifth shutout of the season. Annika Toth made three saves in goal for UAB.

WKU is unbeaten in its last 10 matches (8-0-2) since a season-opening loss.