Box Score Pittsburgh, Pa. - The Catholic University of America women's soccer team was defeated by No. 6 Carnegie Mellon 2-1 in overtime in the second round of the NCAA Division III on Sunday, November 16.
"This was the toughest game we have played all year, which is to be expected in the NCAA tournament," said CUA women's head soccer coach J.P. Sousa. "Carnegie Mellon was better in the first half, and made things difficult for us. We never got into a rhythm with the ball."
In first half, Carnegie Mellon found the back of the net in the 23rd minute, taking their second shot of the game. CMU's Morgan Kontor sent an unassisted shot past CUA goalkeeper Lexi Halperin.
The Tartans offense continued to press hard throughout the first half, outshooting Catholic 5-0 in the first 45 minutes. They maintained their 1-0 lead over the Cardinals heading into the halftime intermission.
CMU took 10 shots, seven on goal, in search of a second goal in the second half. The Cardinals defense, led by Landmark Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Tricia Colucci, prevented further scoring while Halperin made seven saves.
The Cardinals fought back with four shots in the second half. With just three minutes to play Catholic earned a corner kick and took advantage of the opportunity. Ava Brown inbounded the kick to Kirsten Wosleger, who collected the ball on far end and sent it back into the penalty box. Lindsay Aleman took a shot that was then blocked by CMU keeper, Katie Liston. Sarah Madden got her foot on the rebound and drove the ball straight to the back of the net for the Cardinals' equalizer.
"The second half was so much better for us as we took more chances forward and didn't back down when the play got physical," Sousa said. "We really pushed forward with extra players in the final 15 minutes to try to tie the game. When Sarah scored everyone went crazy. The energy and excitement was really high and we felt like anything was possible going into OT."
In the 92nd minute Carnegie Mellon slotted their golden goal for the 2-1 win, redirecting the ball low and hard past Halperin into the far post.
"We felt good going into overtime, but credit goes to them for taking advantage of an opportunity right away," Sousa said.
The Cardinals conclude the season with a 16-2-3 overall record. The Tartans move on to the Sweet 16 with a 16-2 record.
"This was a tremendously successful season for us. I couldn't be happier for this group of players," Sousa said. "We have a lot talent and it's a fun group to work with every day. The team accomplished so much in our conference and in our region, but to play the way they did this weekend in the NCAA's is so satisfying. 2014 is the most successful season we have ever had here at CUA."
Notes: This is the Cardinals first appearance in the second round and third overall in the NCAA Tournament. They fell in 2005 and 2009 in the first round.
Heading into the 2014 NCAA Tournament CUA was ranked No. 24 by D3soccer.com, Carnegie Mellon was ranked No. 7.
