Women's Soccer Advances to ECAC Semifinals
OWINGS MILLS, Md. - Stevenson women's soccer freshman Kayla Curry (Timonium/John Carroll) scored her first career goal just over three minutes into the second overtime to keep the Mustangs unbeaten in their last 12 as they posted a 3-2 victory over Moravian Wednesday in the first round of the ECAC Division III South Championship.
The win was the first for Stevenson (15-3-2) in three ECAC appearances and ties a school record for wins in a season set by the 2006 squad.
The Mustangs advance to Saturday's semifinals where they will play the winner between sixth-seeded Centenary and third-seeded Swarthmore which takes place Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.
The site of the semifinals will be determined by the outcome of Wednesday's game between eighth-seeded LaRoche and top-seeded Penn State-Altoona.
Stevenson is now 3-1-2 in overtime games this season, including 3-0-2 at home. The team is also 4-2 in postseason play, snapping a two-game ECAC skid after first round road losses in 1999 and 2008.
Moravian (8-8-2) started the scoring less than four minutes into the game when the team's leading scorer, Arielle Caldas scored unassisted at 3:25 to give the Greyhounds a 1-0 lead.
The goal marked the first time that the Mustangs had trailed in a span of three games and 181:59 since Steph Mergler scored at 3:25 in the team's 3-1 victory over York (Pa.) in the semifinals of the CAC Women's Soccer Championship.
Moravian held the lead until the 37th minute when Stevenson's leading scorer, sophomore Stephanie Eyler (Thurmont/Catoctin), scored on a penalty kick to tie the game at 1-1 at halftime.
The game would remained tied until Caldas scored her 13th of the season in the 61st minute to put the Greyhounds back in front before Eyler answered with her 22nd in the 70th.
With 22 goals this season, Eyler ties her own single season CAC record which she set last season en route to earning CAC Rookie of the Year honors. She now has 44 goals and 97 career points in just 40 games.
Senior Katie Decker (White Hall/Hereford) picked up her team-leading 11th assist on the game-tying goal and leads the team with 15 over the last two seasons.
Despite holding a 15-7 edge in shots at the end of regulation and an 18-8 edge after the first overtime, Stevenson could not get the game-winner until its third attempt of the second overtime when Curry split two Greyhound defenders and scored just inside the left post under a diving Tori Korona.
Korona finished with eight saves for Moravian who was outshot 21-8 and on the short side of a 10-5 margin in corner kicks.
Meanwhile, Mustang sophomore Brittany Ross (Millersville/Severna Park) made six saves and picked up her sixth win in goal after playing the final 58:02 in relief of freshman Lauren Weitzman (Westminster/Winters Mill) who made one in the first half.
