Women's Soccer 11/5/2009 2:30:00 PM VMIKeydets.com

Women?s Soccer Advances to Big South Championship Semifinals on Penalty Kicks

CHARLESTON, S.C. – After battling fourth-seeded Coastal Carolina for 110 minutes to a 1-1 draw, fifth-seeded VMI advanced to the Semifinals of the 2009 Big South Conference Women's Soccer Championship presented by Musco Sports Lighting by winning the first penalty kick shootout in program history, 5-3 on Thursday at Blackbaud Stadium.

The Keydets (7-10-2) advance to face #8 Winthrop on Friday at 4:30 p.m. The Semifinal berth for the Keydets will mark their second in as many seasons after having never won a postseason match prior to last year. VMI's last match at Blackbaud Stadium came back in 2007, when the Keydets played their first-ever postseason match. That result was a 1-0 loss to top-seeded Coastal Carolina, one of eight consecutive losses the Keydets had suffered all-time against the Chanticleers until Thursday.

“It's a tremendous feeling to advance,” said VMI head coach Bryan Williams. “It is the first time we have beaten Coastal in our program's brief history. To have to go to penalty kicks to do it was a little much for me, but what a terrific job by our group.”

VMI opened the match's scoring in the seventh minute, when senior Chrissy Beach curled in a shot from the right corner, marking the first goal the Keydets had scored against Coastal Carolina (7-11-3) since joining the Big South Conference in 2004. Since falling to the Chanticleers 6-1 in 2003, the Keydets had gone over 659 minutes since last scoring against CCU until Beach's unassisted tally, her fifth of the year.

“Chrissy got us on the board with a terrific goal,” said Williams. “She was on the left side, brought it back, put it on her right foot and curled the ball inside the back post. It totally caught their keeper out of position, as she was having to back-pedal, and it went on for the goal.”

The Keydets maintained that advantage through the opening half, despite being out-shot 9-7. The Chanticleers, however, pulled even just two minutes past the intermission, when a free kick from Maegen Hellberg was headed by a Keydet defender into the net for an own goal.

Coastal Carolina kept the pressure on for much of the second half, with their best chance coming in the 67th minute, when a header by Cami Skladany hit the post. Just four minutes later, Skladany had another opportunity in the box, but junior keeper Angela Redmond came off her line to record the save, one of her 10 on the match.

The match remained tied heading to overtime, where the Keydets notched the period's first chance in the 91st minute. Freshman striker Christelle Ndongo moved down the field on a 1-on-1 opportunity against a Coastal Carolina defender, but could not unleash a shot.

The Chanticleers generated several chances throughout both golden goal periods, uncorking seven shots apiece in each of the two 10-minute sessions. Only one of those 14 attempts came on goal, though Redmond made a match-saving play in the 110th minute, when Coastal Carolina had a 2-on-2 chance in the box. On a pass into the six-yard box, senior defender Audrey Falconi shielded fellow First Team All-Conference honoree Dana Gentile away from the ball, allowing Redmond to pounce on the free ball.

The match then progressed to penalty kicks, where each team was successful on their first two shots. Sophomore Kelly Morrison gave VMI a 3-2 advantage with her shot to the left-side of the goal before Redmond made the play of the match, stopping Hellberg's attempt.

VMI took a 4-2 advantage when senior Kat Underwood's shot tucked in under the crossbar, while Coastal's Sara Niles kept the Chants alive with her successful try. The match then fell to the right foot of All-Freshman selection Kacey Hall, who drilled a shot to the right side of the goal to send the Keydets through to the Semifinals.

“Angela Redmond has been doing a tremendous job for us throughout the season and really took over the starting reins seven or eight games ago when we got into Big South play,” said Williams. “She has done a spectacular job for us and had a terrific, stretched-out save. All the Coastal shooters were pretty clean and on target and she made the difference for us.”

Coastal Carolina failed to advance despite out-shooting VMI 33-12 and taking seven of the game's eight corner kicks. The Chants were led by Anna Tupy, who posted a game-high eight shots, while Gentile, the second-leading scorer in the Big South this season, was held in check for much of the match thanks to Falconi's efforts on the back line.

“Defensively we did a great job today,” said Williams. “Give Coastal Carolina a lot of credit, they won a lot of balls in the air. They kept coming at us, but we held it together on the back line. They may have out-shot us, but the quality of shots they were given really was limited by our back line. I think what you're seeing is the quality of our group that has played together for so long, that they really read each other very well. Audrey certainly helps center and anchor that, and in my opinion, for what she does for us, she's the top player in the conference.”

Chanticleer keeper Amy Haggard was credited with one save in the match.

The Keydets will now advance to take on Winthrop, who knocked off top-seeded Liberty in penalty kicks, 5-4. The Keydets defeated Winthrop, 1-0, last month in Lexington, the fourth consecutive win for VMI in the series.

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