Nov. 8, 2008

Final Stats

KENNESAW, Ga. - Cinderella is headed to the Big Dance after a heart stopping performance in the finals of the Atlantic Sun Tournament on Saturday.  The third seeded Belmont women's soccer team (13-6-3) upset top seeded Mercer (11-5-4) in penalty kicks, 2-1, after a 0-0 double overtime draw.  The victory sends the Bruins to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.

Belmont becomes only the second third seed ever to win the tournament in Atlantic Sun history.  Tonight's game was the first time since 2004 the A-Sun Championship was decided on penalty kicks.  The game also marked the first time in Atlantic Sun history three contests had to be decided on penalty kicks.

Both teams played with a great deal of nervous energy in the first 10 minutes of the first half, with neither able to connect on passes or get near each other's box.  Finally with plenty of traffic in front of the Belmont goal in the 15^th minute, Kacie Hudson fired her first shot of the night which was easily halted by Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team selection Sari Lin (Carefree, Ariz.).  Five minutes later, the Bruins attacked the Mercer goal, collapsing the action inside the 20 yard line.  All-Atlantic Sun Second Team selection Annie Musacchio (Nashville, Tenn.) notched her first shot of the night, forcing Jean Worts to earn her first save of the night. 

Mercer tightened up their defensive effort in the middle of the field, making Belmont work the sidelines to hunt for scoring opportunities.  The Bears nearly picked up a goal in the 27^th minute behind a shot inside the box by Olivia Tucker that was so short she and Lin came chest to chest during the save.   The teams then began a back and forth battle in the midfield that lasted until there were about 10 minutes left in the first half.  Mercer turned up the offensive heat recording three shots over a four minute span, including one that forced Lin to dive to make the stop. 

After the break, the Bruins wasted little time searching for the first goal of the match.  Musacchio took a pass from senior Jamie Bullock (Franklin, Tenn.) and fired a shot that went just wide only 45 seconds in.  The back and forth action of the first half resumed with the Belmont defense holding the upper hand, breaking up several Mercer passes.  With the momentum in their favor, the Bruins stepped up their attack.  In the 54^th minute, sophomore Jayme Trocino (Franklin, Tenn.) fired a rocket toward the Bears' goal but her attempt went just wide.  Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team selection Jamie Loftis (Hermitage, Tenn.) followed three and a half minutes later with a shot skipped diagonally across the Mercer goal.  The Bears were able to break BU's momentum with a corner kick that resulted in a header by Hudson that sailed over the crossbar just one minute later. 

MU once again tightened up its game in the middle of the field and used several free kick opportunities to inch closer and closer to the Belmont goal.  Raschelle Riley attempted to capitalize with a shot from the left corner of the box in the 78^th minute but Lin's quick hands notched another save.  The Bruins surged again, forcing the ball deep into Mercer territory as time ticked to under 10 minutes of regulation.  Sophomore Erica Carter (Spring, Texas) picked up a rebound from a teammate and fired a rocket that ricocheted off the corner of the crossbar in the 83^rd minute.  Mercer answered back with two shots in three minutes later but both went wide.  In the frenzy of the final minutes, the Bears turned up the pressure in front of the Belmont goal again.  Several players notched shots but the Bruin defense let nothing into the box.  Bullock went so far as to sacrifice her body on one of the blocks.  However, regulation expired with each team unable to string together passes that would result in the game winning goal.

The entire first overtime period was a back and forth battle of wills between the two teams.  Mercer was awarded a corner kick in the third minute but was unable to use the chance.  Belmont's best chance came in the final second behind a free kick from All-Atlantic Sun First Team selection Jessica Rix (Carmel, Ind.) to sophomore Madison Porter (Marietta, Ga.) whose headed went wide as time expired.

Mercer looked to have the second overtime in hand when Emerald Phillips broke away, dribbling up the middle of the field in the 6^th minute.  However, Rix caught up with her and boxed her out.  Senior Anna Walsh (Ft. Wright, Ky.) had Belmont's best chance to score but her shot went wide three minutes later.  Neither team was able to find the back of the net, forcing the match to be decided on penalty kicks. 

Loftis and Katheryn Hurst netted both their attempts to knot the tally at 1-1.  Musacchio sent the ball flying into the crossbar and Tucker's attempt was blocked by Lin.  Trocino and Heather Manting also saw their shots blocked, raising the tension on the field to fever pitch.  Freshman Morgan McBride (Collierville, Tenn.) was able to get the ball past Worts to put Belmont on top, 2-1.  Lin went on the block the last two attempts by Mercer and Belmont won the contest, advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.

Mercer held the advantage in shots, 28-9, and corner kicks, 7-0.

Loftis led the Bruins with three shots while Musacchio and Carter each notched two. Lin went the distance for the third consecutive night, playing all 110 minutes in goal and notching seven saves.

"This is amazing," said Head Coach Lisa Howe.  "Mercer played a great game tonight.  We were on our heels.  When you know you're tired, you have to stay organized and keep your head and we did. 

"We defended set pieces tonight - every free kick we were on top of.  We are so fortunate to have our defenders - Marcela, Jess, Gretchen, Morgan.  Sari and those penalty kicks - I've never seen anything like that!

"We were at a disadvantage when it came to the penalty kicks.  Mercer had the chance to see us shoot last night.  Every player that shot last night and made it missed tonight.  We inserted new players and they made theirs.

"I am so proud of our effort tonight.  To play three games in a row and have two go to overtime, we just worked and used so much heart to overcome challenges to get results."

Five Bruins were named to the All-Tournament team - Erica Carter, Jessica Rix, Annie Musacchio, Marcela Sanchez and Sari Lin.  Lin was also named Tournament MVP.

Belmont, who earned an automatic NCAA berth with tonight's win, will await the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Monday night to find out who and where they will play next.