WINSTON-SALEM,
N.C. – Georgia Southern's women’s soccer team was eliminated from the
NCAA Championship after putting up a valiant fight to keep one of the nation’s
best teams scoreless for almost an hour. Third-seeded Wake Forest, however,
scored four unanswered goals to advance to the second round and best the Eagles, who made their first NCAA appearance.
The Eagles focused on their defense in the match, keeping
their scoreless run alive for the first 59 minutes of the match. The Deacons
scored 59:08 into the evening when Marissa Park found Katie Stengel for her
eighth goal of the season. That goal snapped a run of 461:55 by goalkeeper
Katie Merson without allowing a goal.
Wake Forest added two more in short order as Park and
Rachel Nuzzolese scored in the 64th and 65th minutes, respectively. Stengel
added her second goal of the evening and the fourth for the hosts in the 79th
minute.
The Eagle offense offered just one official shot, an
attempt on frame by senior Carlee Storey in the 61st minute. Merson made six
saves to close her junior campaign, withstanding a barrage of 25 shots by Wake
Forest.
Georgia Southern ended the 2012 season at 10-8-5 with the
program’s first SoCon championship.