JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Lady Railsplitters are heading to the Sweet 16 for the second time in program history and for the first time since 2004 after advancing past the No. 14 Carson-Newman Eagles by winning a penalty-kick shootout 5-3 on Sunday night at McCown Field in Jefferson City.
For the second time in two days, 110 minutes weren't enough to decide things for Lincoln Memorial (14-4-2), who earned its spot in the Southeast Regional semifinals with a 5-3 penalty-kick victory over Lander on Saturday.
The Lady Railsplitters were matched up against Carson-Newman (15-4-1) for the second time in seven days after stunning the Eagles in the South Atlantic Conference tournament championship last Sunday.
In the third meeting this season between the two sides, both teams went back and forth from start to finish.
Carson-Newman drew first blood on a lofted shot from Lara Hallgrimsdottir in the 20th minute, but the Lady Railsplitters brought the match back level in the 37th minute when
Jessica Cravero earned a penalty kick and converted her team-leading 19th goal of the season.
Despite multiple chances for both sides, neither team scored for the remainder of the match, sending it to a decisive penalty-kick shootout. And for the second time in just over 24 hours, the Lady Railsplitters' combo of Cravero,
Fabienne Loetscher,
Rachel Taylor,
Gabby Garcia and
Amanda Perez went a perfect 5-for-5, while
Ann-Marie O'Connell made a clutch stop on the Eagles' fourth PK try from Alex Brandan to clinch the win. Perez put the final PK past Carson-Newman keeper Jacqueline Burns to seal the deal.
"It was a great game. Credit to Carson-Newman, they were absolutely fantastic tonight," said second-year head coach
Sean Fraser. "They've got some phenomenal footballers on their team. That's what championship soccer in Division II should be about – fantastic atmosphere, two good teams, everyone on the edge of their seat. We're happy to be playing next week."
Carson-Newman outshot the Lady Railsplitters 17-8, including a 6-0 combined margin in the two overtimes, but Lincoln Memorial withstood that pressure to eliminate the defending Southeast Region champs and national runners-up.
"We've got a young side and we are learning," Fraser said. "I thought they were absolutely tremendous today. We absorbed a little bit too much defensively and we could have got our foot on the ball a little bit more in the midfield and up front.
"But the kids were fantastic off the ball. They had one or two opportunities and we had one or two opportunities. It was just a brilliant game to be a part of."
O'Connell was again the star for the Lady Railsplitters, as the junior keeper finished with five saves, including the game-saving save in the 77th minute when she came off her line to deflect a point-blank attempt by SAC Offensive Player of the Year Magda Mosengo. She also made a pivotal save in the PK shootout to pave the way to victory for Lincoln Memorial for the second day in a row.
"She's was absolutely unbelievable," Fraser said of O'Connell. "She's one of the best keepers in Division II and she doesn't get enough credit for that. We said to the players that she would save at least one penalty and she's done it twice in a row."
Thanks to O'Connell's heroics, Cravero's goal and a perfect PK shootout, the Lady Railsplitters now move one step away from the national quarterfinals for the first time since 2004. Lincoln Memorial is just two seasons removed from a 3-10-2 effort in 2016 and was projected to finish ninth in the SAC preseason poll.
"It's a great feeling," said sophomore captain
Mariana Diaz. "It's great to have every single member on the roster believe and want the same thing. That's why we are still in it. We keep fighting and we keep believing what Sean implements every session."
Lincoln Memorial will face No. 3 nationally-ranked Columbus State in the Southeast Regional championship match on Friday, November 16 in Clinton, Miss.
"We're excited to have the opportunity," Fraser said. "We want to play in big games. If you want to be the best you got to beat the best. We are excited where we are, but we think we have a lot of development left in us."
