Championship Central
FOLEY, Ala. – James Madison, Texas State, Coastal Carolina and Old Dominion secured spots in the semifinals of the 2024 Sun Belt Women’s Soccer Championship at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex on Monday.
Third-seeded Texas State ousted sixth-seeded App State, while seventh-seeded Coastal Carolina upset second-seeded South Alabama on the top side of the bracket. Top-seeded James Madison and fourth-seeded Old Dominion advanced in penalty kicks in the evening matches at the bottom of the draw.
Semifinal matchups in the 2024 Sun Belt Women’s Soccer Championship will kick off Wednesday, November 6 with Texas State facing Coastal Carolina at 4 p.m. before James Madison and Old Dominion meet at 7 p.m.
(3) Texas State 2, (6) App State 0 (Box Score)
Texas State (11-4-5) controlled possession for the early portion of the match and finally found some open field in the 22nd minute when midfielder Lily Erb sent a pass from the near sideline just past in midfield line and ahead to forward Mady Soumare in the center of the App State (7-7-5) defense.
Soumare continued her momentum before delivering a pass to the far side of the goal box where she found Victoria Meza all alone. Meza touched a shot with her right foot to the left of an oncoming Mountaineer goalkeeper and into the left pocket of the net for her fifth goal of the season to give the Bobcats a 1-0 advantage.
Texas State struck again in just over three minutes into the second half when a free kick from in front of the bench on the opposite end of the field was redirected off the head of forward Zoe Junior and into the control of Soumare. The 2024 All-Sun Belt First Team selection made a move from the far sideline, into the goal box and around the oncoming App State goalkeeper before finishing a shot near the penalty kick stripe to extend the lead to 2-0.
The Bobcats outshot the Mountaineers, 9-7, overall and 5-2 in shots on goal. Texas State also held a 4-0 advantage in corner kicks.
(7) Coastal Carolina 2, (2) South Alabama 1 (Box Score)
Coastal Carolina (8-6-6) drew first blood in the fourth minute of the match when forward Julia Ziegenfuss found open space on the right side of the 18-yard line. She made a move to her left and fired a shot into the bottom left corner and past a diving goalkeeper to give her team the 1-0 lead.
Ziegenfuss wasn’t done however, taking a long feed from just inside the Chanticleers’ side of the midfield line from Tamlyn Parkes before lofting a shot from the top right of the goal box and over the goalkeeper to extend the advantage to 2-0 in the 23rd minute. Ziegenfuss doubled her season total in goals her brace.
South Alabama (10-6-3) went on the offensive to begin the second half and earned a set-piece opportunity in the 57th minute. Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year Irene Campo took a free kick from the far side of the goal box and found Bonnie Frost’s head, as she redirected the cross into the back of the net to cut the deficit in half, 2-1.
The Jaguars were unable to find an equalizer despite outshooting the Chantiecleers, 8-6, overall and 5-3 in the second half.
(1) James Madison 0, (8) ULM 0 (JMU advances on PKs, 4-3) (Box Score)
Top-seeded James Madison (10-3-5) applied loads of first-half pressure, but the ULM (9-8-3) defense remained stout and limited clean shots from the opposition. The match remained scoreless through regulation and despite multiple scoring opportunities for both sides during the pair of 10-minute overtime periods, the contest advanced to penalty kicks.
James Madison goalkeeper Sofia DeCerb and ULM netminder Jennifer Handy were outstanding early on in penalty kicks, as Handy made stops on the Dukes’ first two attempts, and DeCerb stopped two of the first three attempts by the Warhawks, as both teams scored just once in their first three kicks, respectively.
Even at 3-3 and beginning their sixth attempt, DeCerb came up with another stop, before All-Sun Belt Second Team defender Jamie Swartz stepped up and delivered the difference-maker to send James Madison to the semifinals.
The Dukes outshot the Warhawks, 16-6, in the contest and 7-0 in the two overtimes while holding a 9-7 edge in corner-kick chances.
(4) Old Dominion 1, (5) Georgia State 1 (ODU advances on PKs, 3-1) (Box Score)
Georgia State (5-7-7) seized early momentum with immense offensive pressure and eventually found a crease in the final minute of the first half when Elena Diaz collected a rebound and loose ball off her own corner kick and arced a shot into the far corner of the net over the defense and goalkeeper to put the Panthers in front, 1-0.
Old Dominion (10-5-4) grew urgent as the second-half clock dwindled down but remained aggressive on the attack. The Monarchs’ efforts paid off in the 68th minute when midfielder Katie Lutz sailed a cross into the heart of the goalie box that took a hard bounce and was tipped into the back of the net by a defender for an own goal to tie the match, 1-1.
Both sides made valiant efforts, including some close calls, in the final minutes of regulation, but even after two overtime periods, the sides remained even at one goal apiece.
Georgia State made its first penalty kick but was unable to connect on its next three attempts, while Old Dominion started 3-for-3 from the stripe. Monarchs’ goalie and two-time Sun Belt Goalkeeper of the Year Emily Bredek made saves on the Panthers’ first two attempts before the third sailed high over the goal to send Old Dominion to the semifinals for the third consecutive season.