Panthers Advance to Second Round of NCAA Tournament
with 1-0 Win
 WINTER PARK,
Fla. (Women’s Soccer) – No. 16 Florida Tech just needed one goal by
Brittany
Carnegie to squeak by Saint Leo in the first round of the NCAA South
Region Tournament Thursday evening at Cahall-Sandspur Field and Barker
Family Stadium.
The victory marked the Panthers’ third win over the Lions this season.
With the win, Tech (15-3-1) will now take on Rollins in the second round of
the tournament Saturday at 7 p.m. in Winter Park. The loss eliminates Saint
Leo (9-6-1) from postseason play.
“To beat a good team like Saint Leo three times in one season is quite an
accomplishment,” Tech head coach
Fidgi Haig
said. “We came out hungrier tonight, stuck to our plan, stayed composed and
came out with a good result. We are all excited to move on and I’m happy
for our seniors. Now, we need to put this game behind us and focus on
Saturday’s match.”
With the game tied 0-0 in the 61st minute, Lion goalkeeper Cristina Coca
attempted to pass the ball to one of her defenders beyond the 18-yard box.
Carnegie read the pass and stole the ball away. She then dribbled past Coca
and placed the ball inside the left post for the one goal advantage.
“I’m glad I had the chance to contribute to tonight’s win,” Carnegie
said. “I’ve never felt so excited following one of my goals so the feeling
is great. It means a lot to us to have an opportunity to face Rollins
again. We are looking forward to the challenge ahead.”
Shortly after the score,
Melissa Pyles
was called on to make one of her two saves on the night as she punched a
shot by Hannah Beard into the air. Fortunately for Tech, the rebound
bounced along the goal line and it ended up glancing off the post.
Beard tested Pyles one more time, but the senior from Port Orange, Fla.
was up to the challenge, making a diving save to preserve the lead. She
improved her personal record to 14-3-1 on the season, while earning her
ninth shutout of the year.
Tech outshot the Lions 13-11, and it also won the corner kick battle,
7-6. Teresa
Brantley and
Paula
Lillsjö led the team with four shots a piece.
Saturday’s game against the Tars can be heard online at
FloridaTechSports.com. Rollins will video stream the contest for free at
RollinsSports.com.
Related Item:
Box Score
|
