Nov. 12, 2009

Courtesy of Maryville (Tenn.)

The Maryville College women's soccer program hosted round one of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night. The Scots welcomed the Eagles of Mary Washington from the Capital Athletic Conference. The game was a back and forth affair and it took a late goal by Maryville to win the contest 3-2.

The first 45 minutes was a defensive struggle and neither team could muster up a goal in the opening half. Maryville (14-4-1) outshot the Eagles 6-1 heading into intermission, but Mary Washington keeper Tina Brehm was up to the challenge.

The offensive fireworks began just two minutes into the second half of play when Sarah Tyron gave Mary Washington a 1-0 advantage. The lead lasted just three minutes until Maryville's Olivia Herron redirected a Jessica Petersen pass into the back of the net. The tally was Herron's sixth of the season.

The 1-1 tie was broken in the 54th minute when Petersen added a goal of her own to the stat sheet. The goal was Petersen's 19th of the campaign, and the Scots held their first lead of the game.

Mary Washington evened the score again in the 64th minute when Chrissy Reardon used her left foot to beat Maryville's keeper. The game was locked in a 2-2 tie for almost 20 minutes, until Scots forward Alex Wingo was determined to be the hero. At the 85th minute, Wingo headed a well placed Jessica Petersen pass into the back of the net. The goal was Wingo's eighth of the year, and it proved to be the difference maker for Maryville.

Head Coach Pepe Fernandez had this to say about his team's victory, "This was a great win for our program and exactly what an NCAA Tournament game should be like. I am so proud of how our girls fought hard and responded every time Mary Washington scored. We will enjoy this win tonight, but tomorrow it's back to work to get ready for Trinity."

The Scots will travel to the state of Texas to take on Trinity College in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The game is scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 pm.