Friday, November 05, 2010

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – For the first time in Atlantic Sun Women’s Soccer Championship history, a freshman tallied three goals in a game as Jacksonville’s All-Freshman Courtney Conrad led the top-seeded Dolphins to a 3-0 semifinal victory against the defending champions, Kennesaw State. It also marked only the third time in championship history that a player recorded a hat trick, with the last occurrence coming in 1998 by Jacksonville’s Stine Kloster.

Conrad opened the scoring in the game with a 17th-minute goal on a Jessica Hurtado assist, her fourth of the year, and continued her offensive attack in the second half with strikes in the 52nd and 73rd minutes. The three-goal performance pushed Conrad’s season goal total to a team-leading eight goals and her point tally to 20, also a team high.

Eva Leeper picked up her first assist on the season with her pass to set up Conrad’s second goal, while the final tally by the freshman went unassisted.

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Read the Atlantic Sun Insider Column: Dolphins Taking Advantage of Home Field Advantage

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The Owls (8-8-3) exit the tournament for the first time in program history by shutout since their first appearance in 2006, while the Dolphins (13-4-2) earned their 13th shutout on the year and eighth for all-conference goalkeeper, Alexa Rooney, who made five saves in the game.

With the victory, Jacksonville advances to play Mercer, the two-seed, in a Saturday match set for 1 p.m. For the 12th time in the last 13 championship finals, the top seeded team will be represented; while it will mark the sixth time in the past eight championships the top-two teams will meet for the conference title. In those matches, the top squad has claimed the title on four occasions.

The victory for the Dolphins at Ashley Sports Complex marks the 13th time in the past 17 championships that the host school has advanced to the final match. In the previous 12, the host has claimed eight titles.

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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 five 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