DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The Embry-Riddle women's soccer team put forth a valiant effort on a very cold December night, but it was not enough to stop 15th-seeded William Carey (16-3-1) in the second round of the 25th Annual NAIA Women's Soccer National Tournament, hosted by Embry-Riddle at the ERAU Soccer Stadium on Tuesday. Shannon Steffen led the way for the Crusaders with two goals, as they topped the Eagles 3-1 to advance to the quarterfinal round.
Both teams were fairly evenly matched in every stat column except the scoreboard. William Carey had an 8-7 edge in shots on frame and a 13-10 in shots overall. The Crusaders also had a 4-2 advantage in corner kicks and committed 12 fouls to the Eagles 10.
The Crusaders took the lead in the 11th minute when Aimi Beresford got the ball to Natalie Nino on the left side of the field. Nino's cross found Shannon Steffen on the far post and Steffen's header gave William Carey a one-goal advantage.
The Crusaders clung to the 1-0 lead until the Eagles netted the equalizer with just under four minutes to play in the first half. A broken play in the middle of the pitch put Cecile Henriksen deep in the Crusader's territory. Henriksen's ball into the box eluded the defense, and the William Carey goalkeeper failed to come off her line to intercept the pass, allowing
Elina Johansson to collect the ball on the far post and tap it in for the tie.
The Crusaders pulled ahead again in the 59th minute when Abby Johnson gained control of a missed clearance by the Eagle defense and tapped in William Carey's second goal of the night.
Beresford was also involved in William Carey's third goal of the night as she played a ball through to Steffen running down the middle. Steffen slotted a low ball past ERAU netminder
Brelyn Bingham to seal the win.
Bingham finished the night with five saves and courageously came off her line to thwart many more Crusader attempts. Her William Carey counterpart, Jordan Morrison, pulled in six saves.
The Eagles end the 2008 campaign with an 8-9 overall record.
