MATTHEWS, S.C. – Anderson University Women's Soccer (12-5-2, 6-3-1 SAC) fell 3-2 to nationally ranked No. 2 Catawba (16-0-4, 7-0-3 SAC) in a hard-fought battle on the pitch during the South Atlantic Conference Championships Sunday afternoon.
"I'm absolutely gutted for the girls." said head coach
Sarah Jacobs. "We went toe to toe with the number two team in the country."
Anderson opened the scoring in just the third minute of the match with a goal off a deep free kick by
Carly Keuffer (Mason, Ohio). The Trojans put up a strong defensive battle on the pitch, leading 1-0 heading into the second half.
Catawba entered the second half strong, capitalizing on a free kick in the 60
th minute to even the score 1-1. The Trojans responded with a well-placed pass by
Kaitlyn Gregory (Cincinnati, Ohio) that found the foot of
Madison Bowling (Evans, Ga) for her first goal of the season.
With just eight minutes left of the match, a shot by Catawba found the back of the net to even the scoring 2-2, sending the match into overtime. Catawba scored the golden goal in the eighth minute of overtime to secure the conference title and a bid into the national tournament.
Anderson's goalkeeper
Aliyah Morgan (Fort Myers, Fla.) tallied five highlight worthy saves on the match.
"I am incredibly proud of their historic season, and we hope to keep it going in the national tournament." added Jacobs.
The NCAA Division II Women's Soccer selection show will take place on Monday, Nov. 16 at 6:30 p.m.
