SoCon Championship Central
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - No. 2 seed Samford rallied from a two-goal deficit to take a 4-3 victory over third-seeded The Citadel in the second semifinal of the 2010 Southern Conference Women's Soccer Championship at the Catamount Athletic Complex in Cullowhee, N.C.
Samford (13-5-3) will take on No. 1 seed and 14th-ranked UNCG Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. with the tournament championship on the line.
"We came out on fire, but The Citadel scored two terrific goals," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "I was proud of the resiliency our team showed to fight back. It feels good to finally get a chance to play for a championship."
With the match deadlocked at three and overtime approaching, Samford's Shanika Thomas converted a Lindsey Mattern centering cross at the 85:47 mark to provide the winning goal.
Samford's Michelle Moll scored the first goal of the match with a blast from 25 yards out to the lower left corner at the 11:10 mark of the first half.
The Citadel wasted little time in responding as Vanessa Aponte rifled a shot past the outstretched arms of Alyssa Whitehead from 25 yards out.
The Bulldogs struck again with another long distance tally as Mariana Garcia's shot at 23:50 from above the top of box staked The Citadel to a 2-1 lead.
The Citadel's advantage increased yet again at 27:19 when Whitehead misplayed a corner kick and allowed the ball to drop across the end line for an own goal.
Samford was not done scoring either, however, as freshman Trine Taule connected from the edge of the 18-yard box on a low boomer to the lower left.
In the second half, Taule struck again in the 69th minute to equalize at three goals apiece. The freshman collected a loose ball in the net and finished for her ninth tally of the season.
Samford outshot The Citadel, 27-10. Whitney Nave recorded nine saves for The Citadel while Whitehead recorded five for Samford.
The Citadel concludes its season at 12-8-1.