No. 1 West Florida Rallies to Down No. 7 Carson-Newman, 2-1, to Advance to Final Four
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Top-ranked West Florida rallied to score two second-half goals en route to a 2-1 victory over the seventh-ranked Carson-Newman women’s soccer team on Sunday afternoon in the NCAA Division II Tournament Quarterfinals at McCown Field.
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Top-ranked West Florida rallied to
score two second-half goals en route to a 2-1 victory over the
seventh-ranked Carson-Newman women’s soccer team on Sunday
afternoon in the NCAA Division II Tournament Quarterfinals at
McCown Field.
Argonauts’ junior midfielder Shakira Duncan tallied the
decisive goal off a cross from Shameka Gordon in the 88th minute to
send West Florida to its second-straight Final Four appearance.
The Argonauts (22-0) will face the winner of West Texas A&M and
Cal State Dominguez Hills in the national semifinals on Dec. 3 in
Tampa, Fla.
The Lady Eagles (20-3-1) fell just short of the Final Four, which
would have been their third appearance in six years.
C-N held a lead late into the second half despite a barrage of
shots from the Argonauts. West Florida outshot the Lady Eagles 19-2
for the match, including a 7-1 advantage in shots on goal.
Senior forward Nikki Brannen (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.) gave the Lady
Eagles an early 1-nil lead as she finished off a cross from Trenna
Howell (Oak Ridge, Tenn.) in the 11th minute.
C-N held on to take the one-goal lead into halftime, which was the
first time this season West Florida entered the locker room with a
deficit.
The Argonauts came out firing in the second half, outshooting the
Lady Eagles 11-0.
Gordon tallied the equalizer in the 69th minute. After C-N
goalkeeper Lauren MacKenzie (Barrie, Ontario) blocked a shot, the
ball came free, and Gordon knocked the loose ball into the back of
the net to tie the match at 1-1.
Duncan, who leads the nation in goals scored, then came through
with the match-winner in the 88th minute.
MacKenzie collected fives saves in the loss.
Postgame quotes
Carson-Newman head coach Phil McNamara:
“Obviously we are disappointed that we lost this match at
home. I felt like we had one foot in the Final Four. What an
experience that would have been for this group of young players,
but West Florida is an amazing team. Unfortunately, we just
couldn’t hold out long enough. I’m just extremely proud
of this young team. This group of girls has worked so hard this
year and has played their best soccer at the right time in the NCAA
Tournament. I’m very, very pleased with the way the girls
fought today against a strong opponent.”
West Florida head coach Joe Bartlinski:
“Carson-Newman was unbelievable today. We were getting some
looks during the first half, but they weren’t great looks. We
had to make a few changes at the half because we’ve never
really had to come from behind. Carson-Newman just made things
difficult. They were well-coached. After being down on the road, it
is a great credit to this team’s ability to come back.”
