MARYVILLE, Tenn.--- The Asbury women's soccer team (11-6-3, 4-3-1 CCS) stunned Maryville College (9-7-1, 7-1 CCS) on Tuesday night in Maryville, Tenn., with a 1-1 (4-2 PK's) victory, advancing for the first time to the Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) Finals.
After a scoreless first half, Maryville struck in the 62nd minute, then sophomore psychology major Emily Carpenter responded in the 74th minute to level the match at 1-1.
Sophomore sport management major Peyton Steiniger, Asbury's goalkeeper, turned in a career performance, recording 18 saves in 110 minutes, including key stops in overtime and the penalty shootout. Despite being outshot 38-5 and facing a 19-2 disadvantage in shots on goal and corner kicks, the Eagles held strong.
In the shootout, Asbury received notable contributions from Maggie Perry, Mary Hostetter, Emily Carpenter, and Payton Ardery, each successfully netting their penalties to help advance the team into the CCS finals.
The PK sequence saw Maryville miss their first attempt, while Asbury also missed theirs. Maryville then converted their next two shots, but AU responded by scoring their next four attempts. Steiniger would deflect the next two attempts for Maryville, advancing the Eagles to the 4-2 PK victory.
The match featured five yellow cards and one red card; two yellow cards were given to AU and three yellow cards plus one red card for Maryville.
"Tonight, we fought with our all not for ourselves, but for the people next to us out on that field, for each other. It's always hard to play 110 minutes just to settle the score with PK's, but each person who stepped up demonstrated composure, tenacity, and a willingness to bury it. We knew what had to be done to win tonight, and I could not be more proud of my teammates for getting the job done. All eyes ahead towards this weekend!! We aren't done yet, but this win just fuels us going into the finals on Saturday."
Maggie Perry | Jr. | Exercise Science | Lexington, Ky.
* Emily Carpenter | 1 G
* Peyton Steiniger | 18 SV (Career-High), 110'
* Maggie Perry, Macy Scott, Madison Andrews, Tallulah Lafferty, Anna Sparks | 110'
* Maggie Perry, Mary Hostetter, Emily Carpenter, Payton Ardery | 1 PK G
Asbury will compete in the CCS Championship against Belhaven University on Saturday, November 8, at 2 pm in Jackson, Miss.
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