DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For the third year in a row, the Embry-Riddle women's soccer team will have a chance to play for a Sun Conference tournament title. The Eagles, seeded second in the six-team tournament, advanced on Saturday with a 3-0 defeat of No. 3 seed SCAD Savannah in the semifinal round played at ERAU's Soccer Stadium. Ninth-ranked ERAU improved its overall record to 15-2-1, while the Bees fell to 13-5 on the year.
The Eagles took full advantage of having the wind at their backs in the first half, outshooting the Bees 8-2 in the first 45 minutes of play. The first chance to put a goal in the score book came from Cecilie Henrikssen whose long range attempt was pushed just wide of the mark by SCAD goalkeeper Ciara Thomas in the 13th minute. Thomas also managed to turn back the next two Eagle attempts to keep the score knotted at 0-0.
The Eagles were finally able to break the scoreless tie in the 23rd minute. Henrikssen received the pass from Allison Schultz on the left side of the pitch and launched a ball that made its way to the SCAD 18-yard box where only Martine Olsen and a SCAD defender waited. The ball was too high for the SCAD defender to handle and fell to Olsen who took full advantage of being unmarked to slot home her 27th goal of the year and put the Eagles up 1-0
In the 38th minute, the Eagles increased their advantage to 2-0 courtesy of Valerie Obita's 12th goal of the season. ERAU played a hopeful ball toward the SCAD penalty area but with no Eagle player in the vicinity, it seemed an easy play for the SCAD defense. That was until Obita, using her pace, came from out of nowhere to split the last two SCAD defenders and tapped the ball past Thomas for a 2-0 Eagle lead at the break.
When the teams switched sides at the half, it was evident that the wind was a significant factor in the attacking movements of both teams. After managing just two shots in the first frame, the Bees outshot the Eagles 6-3 in the second, forcing ERAU goalkeeper Lauren Gallant to come up with four saves. Despite the apparent advantage, it was the Eagles who tallied the only goal of the second half.
In the 77th minute, Obita got the ball from Krizzy Menez at the midfield stripe and her one-touch pass released Menez down the right side. With an open field in front of her, Menez took the ball deep into the SCAD box before passing the ball back to Obita who had continued her run. Obita calmly settled the pass and slotted the ball past Thomas to seal the 3-0 win and secure the Eagles' spot in the Sun Conference championship.
"We have a lot of respect for Andy and his program, so we knew it would require a strong effort to get a result,” ERAU Head Coach Samantha Bohon said. “I thought we were pretty good in the first half with possession and movement. We had two great finishes to give us the lead at half. We were smart in the second half and got a third goal to seal up the win. We know St Thomas will be a challenge, so we'll spend the week preparing for a battle."
As the highest remaining seed in the conference tournament, the Eagles will host fourth-seed St. Thomas who registered a 2-0 upset of No. 1 seed and seventh-ranked Northwood in the other semifinal. The championship match will take place on Nov. 11 at the Embry-Riddle Soccer Stadium. The game time is yet to be determined.
