In their first NCAA tournament game since 2010, the fourth-seeded Florida Southern College women's soccer team defeated fifth-seeded Mississippi College by a final score of 2-1 to advance to the semifinals of the South Region.
The Moccasins earned their first Division II NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament victory after an overtime goal from freshman Alison Jenkins, who struck in the third minute of the extra period. Florida Southern would hang on for the remainder of the 20-minute overtime frame, ceding just two shots on goal.
The Mississippi Choctaws earned an automatic bid to the tournament after winning the Gulf South Conference, entering the match with a 15-3-2 overall record. The team boasted one of the best offenses in the country, ranking third in all of Division II by averaging 3.2 goals per game this year.
Florida Southern keeper Jenny Staten was able to keep the high-octane offense in check, allowing just one goal in the monumental victory. Brooke Lowery, Jordan King, Tatum Albrecht, Morgan Collica, and Madison Male each played over 100 minutes defensively to limit the potent Choctaw offense.
The Moccasins started the scoring as they have so many times this year, with Lindsey Meyer tallying in the 30th minute to put Florida Southern up in the first half. King forced a turnover in the offensive zone, battling one-on-one to steal the ball before she fed Meyer from roughly 25 yards out. The senior made no mistake, delivering a brilliant left-footed shot to the back of the net for her fifth goal of the year.
The Mocs built momentum after taking the lead, as Angelina Coelho had her shot saved in the 33rd minute before Meyer hit the crossbar on another long-range opportunity in the 36th minute.
Despite the swing of momentum, the Choctaws were able to respond in the 41st minute, as Mississippi College's Erin Hederman struck a cutting shot into the back of the net to tie the game at one late in the second half. That was the lone shot on goal allowed by the Moccasins in the first half.
The Choctaws came out with offensive prowess in the second half, putting their top-ranked team on display with some excellent opportunities. The Mocs were equal to the task, as Staten and the rest of the Florida Southern backline kept the ball out of the back of the net
In the 71st minute, Staten made a particularly alert stop to keep the game knotted at one after an unlikely deflection spelled trouble right in front of the goalmouth.
That save led to an eventual chance for Courtney Chomko, who had a near breakaway opportunity in the 73rd minute. The ball took an unlucky bounce for Chomko, and the chance came to nothing.
The biggest stand of the game for the Mocs came in the 80th minute, as the Choctaws threatened with a free kick deep in their offensive zone. Despite a series of chances for Mississippi in the box, the defensive unit for Florida Southern was able to clear the ball and keep the game tied for the remainder of regulation.
In contrast to past years, this year's overtime rules call for twenty minutes of extra time, separated into two ten-minute halves, with no sudden death victories.
Freshman Alison Jenkins started the explosive overtime period for Florida Southern, as she scored just over two minutes into the extra period. Angelina Coelho won a throw-in on the right wing, astutely finding Jenkins in the middle of the field. The freshman took the lane and found herself in a one-on-one against the Choctaw keeper. Jenkins fired a shot to the far post corner for her fifth goal of the year, giving the Moccasins a 2-1 lead.
She would follow up her overtime goal with two more shots on goal in the following five minutes. Lindsey Meyer had another excellent chance, but the Choctaws stayed alive with three timely saves.
Florida Southern didn't allow a shot on net in the first ten minutes of overtime, as they took a 2-1 lead into the final ten minutes of the game.
Mississippi opened the final ten-minute frame with a slew of opportunities, and the Mocs once again limited any high-percentage scoring opportunities with timely blocks and key saves from Staten.
Florida Southern's Abby DeSalvo and Caitlyn Lowery each notched a shot on goal in the final ten minutes to keep the offensive pressure on Mississippi. The effort was enough, as the Moccasins remained in control for the final few minutes of overtime, securing a 2-1 victory as they advance to the next round of the 2022 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Tournament.
Florida Southern will advance in the tournament for the first time in program history as they set their sights on the first-seeded team in the region, and Sunshine State Conference rival, the Embry-Riddle Eagles.
This will be the second time this season that the two teams square off, with the first being a 1-1 draw back on Sep. 21.
The next match will be the South Region semifinals, this Sunday, Nov. 13, at 4 p.m. as they take on Embry-Riddle once again, in Daytona Beach.
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