Thursday, November 06, 2008

KENNESAW, Ga. – It was a long fought match between the Owls and the Bruins, but the third-seeded Belmont team upset the Owls in a 3-3 end. The Bruins defeated the Owls 4-2 in penalty kicks in the second semifinal match of the 2008 Atlantic Sun Women’s Soccer Championship at the KSU Soccer Complex. Belmont advances to its first conference Championship match where it will take on the first-seeded Mercer Bears, Saturday at 6:00 p.m.

The last time a No. 3 team advanced to the finals was in 2002 when third-seeded Jacksonville defeated second-seeded FAU 3-2, in overtime. There has never been a tournament game in wich each team scored three goals. This match is also the highest scoring game since 1998 when Jacksonville took down Mercer, 5-1.

Belmont's first two PKs from Annie Musacchio and Jayme Trocino went past Owls' goalie Jamie Moroney. Kennesaw saw one of their kicks with Caroline Austin putting one in the back of the net. They couldn’t match it though as Sarah Marek was shut down by Belmont keeper Sari Lin.

The Owls thought they had a chance when Moroney stopped the Bruins' Jamie Bullock’s kick, but Belmont retaliated with a hard kick from first-team All-Conference defender Jessica Rix just past Moroney’s right hand.

Early in the match, Kennesaw State opened the scoring after Kristin Kranick shot a quick one off a pass from senior Rachel Baer to sweep it past All-Freshman selection Lin.

Less than three minutes later, Belmont equaled the match as sophomore Madison Porter took a rebound off of senior Anna Walsh’s shot to put it past Moroney to see the back of net. It was only a tie for a minute when the Owls returned the favor. First-team All-Atlantic Sun forward Baer took a pass from sophomore Yasha Blount to snap it past Lin’s outstretched hands to put Kennesaw up 2-1. Baer scored her 11th goal of the season.

The half ended with Kennesaw State blasting 12 shots while the Bruins only took three. Lin saved three while Moroney did not get the chance to earn a save.

Belmont opened the second half with a give and go from Belmont forward Elizabeth Bublis to Erica Carter for a high goal above Moroney’s hands. The Bruins jumped ahead 3-2, off a long ball from Anna Walsh to give Marcela Sanchez the chance to put it in the goal. Anna Walsh tied the record for most assists in a tournament game with two.

All Belmont had to do was protect its net for 23 minutes to make a Cinderella story come true. Unfortunately in the last minutes of the game, Kennesaw State sophomore Sadjr Williams sent a long ball and Blount stuck her foot on it to make a last minute squeeze past Lin. Catch the championship match on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at the KSU Soccer Complex or on ASun.TV.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.