ASHEVILLE, N.C. - UNC Asheville Women's Soccer advanced to its first Big South Conference Championship final since 2006 with a penalty kick victory over No. 3 seed High Point at Greenwood Field on Tuesday (Nov. 10). The Bulldogs earned the shootout win by a score of 4-2 in penalties, their penalty kick win since a 4-2 victory over Charleston Southern back on Nov. 9, 2007 in the Big South Conference Championship quarterfinals.
The teams spent the first 45 minutes feeling each other out, with High Point maintaining pressure in the Asheville end for a good portion of the half. Despite fighting off pressure for a good portion of the half, Asheville outshot High Point 3-1 in the half. The offense would turn up in the second half, with High Point registering nine shots to Asheville's seven with Asheville forcing High Point to make six saves and Asheville goalkeeper London Phoenix making two saves in the half. Asheville's best chance of the second half came just 10 minutes into the second half, when Lili Adams crossed a ball through the box to the far post finding a hard-charging Kandis Calvin who one-timed a ball on frame from a short range out with High Point goalkeeper Nylah Mirshafiei making a sprawling save to knock the ball away. Each team had chances throughout the second half, but the match would head to overtime still scoreless.
Each team only registered one shot in the first 10 minutes of overtime, before Asheville would turn up the offensive pressure in the second 10 minutes of overtime outshooting High Point 4-1. After 110 minutes of scoreless soccer, the teams headed for a penalty shootout.
Kandis Calvin was first to the spot, and she buried her try low left to put Asheville up 1-0. Thea Oberhoff would score for High Point to even the contest, before Sanna Smith would stash her attempt home in the right corner to put Asheville back up 2-1. Sophie Redner would score for High Point to level the score 2-2, before Lilly Graumann would doink her attempt in off the crossbar to put Asheville ahead 3-2. London Phoenix would come up with the first save of the shootout on Brooke Potter, before Manuela Schreier would bury her attempt low left to put Asheville ahead 4-2. Phoenix came up big to seal the match with a diving save on Morgan Wilcox to clinch the win for the Bulldogs.
Asheville outshot High Point 15-12 in the match, including 7-3 in shots on frame and earned three corner kicks to High Point's six in the match. Georgia Duke paced Asheville's offense with four shots in the contest, while Adams had three and Calvin and Schreier each had two. Alexandra Gib, Arna Hogarth-Scott, Landyn Wessels and Sanna Smith each had one shot in the match. Phoenix (8-4-5) made three saves in her sixth shutout of the season.
The Bulldogs (8-4-6) will host Sunday's (Nov. 15) Big South Conference Championship final hosting No. 4 seed Radford. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. from Greenwood Field.