Tars Advance to SSC Tournament Finals with 4-1 Conquest
over Lions
Box Score
WINTER PARK,
Fla. (November 6, 2009) - In a Friday night
fight for the finals, the top-seeded Rollins women's soccer team triumphed
with a 4-1 victory over Saint Leo University, advancing the Tars to the
championship round of the 2009 Sunshine State Conference Tournament.
Senior midfielder
Jessica Mooney netted the game-winning tally, and freshman forward
Ali Schrader nabbed two goals to lead the game as the No. 8 Tars press
forward to an overall mark of 14-1-2 on the season.
The Lions close out their SSC Tournament journey with a record of
9-5-1, but await the news as to whether they will earn a bid into the NCAA
South Region Tournament to be announced Monday at 7:00 p.m.
Joining Mooney and Schrader on the scoreboard was
Leah Hirsch with the first goal of the contest, and
Elise Spearing and
Annie Pippert with an assist each on Schrader's first goal of the
contest. The Lions were held silent for the majority of the game, but
were finally able to put a goal on the scoreboard in the 86th minute after
Pia Soesemann collected on a lofty header from Hannah Beard for a hard
strike on frame.
With two saves on the evening, sophomore goalkeeper
Michelle Dillingham saw a diminutive six shots all evening thanks to
smart play and a staunch defensive line of
Meagan Thomas,
Maia Ryan,
Charlotte Murrell and Hirsch. Dillingham's counterpart, Cristina Coca
faced 16 shots and nine shots on goal from the Tars, making three saves on
the evening.
Hirsch ignited the Tars in the 30th minute of action after junior
forward
Chelsea Brady was taken down in the box to set up a penalty kick.
Hirsch's strike was saved by Coca, but the ball rebounded out to set up
Hirsch for a hard wallop into the left corner of the goal to put the Tars
ahead 1-0, and Rollins built on the momentum throughout the remainder of
the contest.
Mooney collected on a team save from the Lions with just seven seconds
remaining in the first half and fired a rocket past Coca to put the Tars
up 2-0 at the half, and with a flurry of goals late in the second half
from Schrader, Rollins sealed the deal and advances to the tournament
finals for the second time in program history. The last time the Tars saw
the championship match was back in 2004 when they lost to the University
of Tampa Spartans 1-0.
Rollins paved the way in all areas of the field as they led in shots
16-6, shots on goal 9-3, and had three corner kick opportunities in
comparison to the Lions' two. A total of nine Tars fired off shots
throughout the contest, with Schrader heading up the squad with four, all
in the second half.
The Tars will take to the pitch on Sunday as they look to clinch their
first ever Sunshine State Conference Tournament Championship, and will
take on third-seed Florida Southern. Kickoff against the Moccasins is
slated for 1:00 p.m. at Barker Family Stadium and Cahall-Sandspur Field.
Fans who cannot make it to the game will be able to watch and listen live
on the Tars Sports Network at RollinsSports.com.