College of Charleston
Samford
Women?s Soccer Advances to Championship Game on Penalty Kicks
11/7/2009 1:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
After a scoreless 110 minutes, the match came down to penalty kicks. The Bulldogs (12-1-5) and Cougars (12-6-2) matched each other shot for shot, scoring on their first five shots apiece and advancing to a sudden death situation on the next kick. Samford's Brittany Gordon took the kick and freshman goalkeeper Katie Tate made a diving save to give the Cougars a chance to pull ahead.
Junior Morgan Benz made the deciding shot, slipping a low ball past Samford goalkeeper Alyssa Whitehead and securing the Cougars' place in the championship round.
Sophomore Hannah Gmerek, junior Annie Pease, freshman Katie Kerr, and seniors Emily Morgan and Julie Romanik each made successful penalty shots prior to Benz's strike, evening the score each time Samford knocked one in net.
Benz nearly scored in the second overtime, striking from 18 yards out directly on goal and sending it just a hair above the crossbar at the 104:54 mark. She led the Cougars with three shots throughout the match.
CofC outshot Samford 13-8 while the Bulldogs held a 6-0 advantage on corner kicks throughout the contest. The Cougars registered three attempts during two overtimes while the Bulldogs made their final shot at the 73:55 mark in regulation.
The two teams have played a combined total of five overtime games throughout the regular season (Samford 4, CofC 1) with neither team scoring in extra time.
Tate recorded her fourth shutout in 10 games this season. She made three saves over 110 minutes in net. The Cougars defense added a team save in the second minute of the match, blocking a shot attempt by Samford's Leppert.
College of Charleston advances to the championship game for the second time in the program's 16-year history. The Cougars will meet the winner of the Davidson vs. UNC Greensboro semifinal match on Sunday at 1 p.m.
