FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Isabelle Navren scored twice in the second half to lead the Embry-Riddle women's soccer team to a 2-1 win over Nova Southeastern (9-2-4) in the semifinal round of the Sunshine State Conference tournament on Thursday. With the win over the No. 2 seed Sharks, the third-seeded Eagles advance to the championship game for the third straight season and improve their record to 12-0-5.
 
Embry-Riddle and Nova Southeastern were evenly matched on the stats sheet. NSU held a 17-16 edge in shots, but the Eagles led 8-7 in shots on goal and 7-4 in corner kicks.
 
In the regular season match-up, the Eagles and the Sharks played to a scoreless draw. That stalemate extended into the first half of Thursday's contest. Much of the first 45 minutes were played between the penalty boxes as each side sought to establish possession. The Eagles and the Sharks took eight shots apiece with all but one of those attempts coming from long distance. ERAU netminder Oona Jokinen and her NSU counterpart Stefane Rosa had four and three saves, respectively, but none of the seven shots on frame troubled either of the two top goalkeepers in the league.
 
The Eagles broke the deadlock just under eight minutes into the second half. After taking a corner kick that was cleared by the NSU defense, Sofia Munthe Nilsson won the ball along the left side line and took the ball 40 yards down the field. She ran toward the end line before sending a low cross into the box and Navren, who was standing at the near post, tapped the ball under an advancing Rosa to give the Blue and Gold a 1-0 lead.
 
The Eagles were able to hold the lead for 20 minutes, but at the 67:44 mark, Sofia Suarez capitalized on an Eagle defensive miscue to draw the Sharks level.
 
Navren wasted no time in putting the Eagles back in front. Less than a minute after the NSU goal, Navren dispossessed a Shark defender in NSU's defensive third, took a few touches and rifled a shot past Rosa for her second goal of the night and a 2-1 Eagle lead.
 
With just under 10 minutes left, Luana Grabias ran in behind the Eagle defense and was one-v-one with Jokinen. Jokinen was up to the challenge, however, and turned back the league's Offensive Player of the Year to preserve the Eagle win.
 
The conference tournament championship game will be a repeat of last year's game as the Eagles will once again host Florida Tech at 1 p.m. at the Embry-Riddle Soccer Stadium. Seeded fourth in the tournament field, Florida Tech advanced to the final after besting Florida Southern 5-3 on penalty kicks.