QUARTERFINAL SCORES
#3 Eastern Kentucky 2, #7 SIUE 1
#5 Southeast Missouri 0, #4 Belmont 0 (Southeast Missouri advances penalty kicks)
EASTERN KENTUCKY 2, SIUE 1
RICHMOND, Ky. - Freshman Katie Shaffer’s goal in the final minute of the first half lifted the No. 3 Eastern Kentucky University soccer team past No. 7 SIUE, 2-1, in the OVC Tournament quarterfinals on Sunday afternoon at EKU Soccer Field.
With the win, EKU (10-4-4) avenges its loss to SIUE (7-10-2) in last season’s OVC title game.
It marks the first time in program history the Colonels have advanced to the OVC semifinals in two consecutive seasons.
In the 44th minute, sophomore midfielder Monica Rios placed a corner kick in the perfect position, allowing Shaffer to swoop in and head the ball through the net. The outside back from Monroe, Ohio native notched her first collegiate goal and first collegiate game-winner with the score.
Senior forward Jordan Foster led EKU with two shots on the afternoon, both of which were on target. In total, the Colonels fired nine total shots, six of which were on frame.
Eastern wasted little time getting on the board first. In the sixth minute, Foster used a left-to-right crossover that freed her from her defender. From there, she sent a shot toward the goal from 25 yards out that managed to sail past the keeper. The Fairborn, Ohio native leads EKU with seven goals on the year and is one goal away from tying her own program record for goals in a season (eight).
In the 35th minute, SIUE’s Becca Jostes scored the Cougars’ lone goal off a penalty kick when she was fouled inside the box.
Senior goalkeeper Anna Hall recorded five saves on the afternoon to help the Colonels advance.
Hall, Shaffer, midfielder Marian Wolski, defender Makenna Sullivan, midfielder Alyssa Julien, and defender Haley Kemper never left the field for the Colonels in the win.
The Colonels will now travel to host Murray State to play No. 2 Tennessee Tech in the semifinals on Friday, November 3.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 0, BELMONT 0
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - No. 4 Belmont women's soccer fought fearlessly through a double overtime stalemate against No. 5 Southeast Missouri in the OVC Quarterfinals match Sunday afternoon at E.S. Rose Park. The match would ultimately be decided in a shootout where the Bruins fell short, 5-4, to the Redhawks.
Belmont (10-6-2) controlled the tempo of the match for most of the 110 minutes that the two squads battled on the pitch, outshooting SEMO (8-7-4), 20-6, while denying its opponent to land a single shot on frame until the final seconds of double overtime. The Bruins dominated offensively from start to finish, but struggled to get past SEMO's keeper Kindra Lierz.
Sophomore Niki Clements (Perkasie, Pa.) went to work early on a fierce run down the field where she had to squeeze past a pair of Redhawk defenders before launching a shot 10 yards out in the 17th minute that would soar right. The forward continued to cause trouble for the SEMO backline has she fired four shots throughout the match.
While the Bruins bombarded the Redhawk goal for much of the game, it was a different story on the other end as sophomore keeper Lily Herman (Springboro, Ohio) and the BU defense were nearly flawless at protecting their territory. Herman was a large reason that the squad held SEMO to just one shot on goal all game as she made critical stops on multiple occasions to ensure that the Redhawks never got a clear look on frame. In fact, SEMO didn't tally a shot until the 40th minute – their sole attempt of the entire first half.
With the match held scoreless after the first stanza, Belmont took a bit to get back in the groove as freshman Sydney Cason (Hnerdersonville, Tenn.) was the sole Bruin to register a shot in the opening 25 minutes of the half. Despite a slow start in the attacking third, BU continued to hold off the Redhawks offense as they earned five consecutive corner kicks. During that span the Bruins only allowed SEMO one chance to threaten in which the ball flew over the crossbar and left the game even at zero apiece.
From then on the Bruins heated up and fired off eight shots, including a great look from freshman Julie Garst (Franklin, Tenn.) who worked through some contact and sent a laser that forced Lierz to make her sixth save of the match. Both squads remained scoreless after regulation to trigger Belmont's second overtime match in its last two games of the season.
In both overtime periods the Bruins led the shot count, 5-1, but failed to notch the game-winning goal on any of the attempts to ensure that the contest would be decided in a shootout.
Each team netted their first four penalty kicks before Belmont would falter with a shot over the frame, moving SEMO onto the semifinals.
Senior Belicia Mendiola (McKinney, Texas) led BU in shots with five, landing three on frame.
Southeast Missouri's Esmie Gonzales led the team with three shots.
The Redhawks will face top-seeded Murray State in the semifinals on Friday at 2 p.m. CT in Murray, Ky.