MIAMI SHORES, Fl. --- The Mississippi College women's soccer team advanced to the NCAA Tournament sweet sixteen on this sunny afternoon in Miami Shores, Fl. with a 2-1 victory over the #2 seed and host Barry University.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- In the first half both teams looked strong in the early minutes. Barry was able to strike first when the Buccaneers' Christy Grimshaw was able to make a nice move to get by the MC back line and put it passed
Andrea McDonald to give the Buccaneers the early 1-0 lead.
- The Lady Choctaws were able to respond in the 20th minute when
Lauren Smith received a pass from
Lauren Dodge inside the box and was able to angle it past the Barry keeper tying the match at 1-1.
- MC then took the lead in the 22nd minute when
Rita Okoro scored her second goal of the Tournament on a pass from
Katie Taylor giving the Lady Choctaws the 2-1 lead which would hold until halftime.
- In the second half Barry had their chances but McDonald and the Lady Choctaw defense held strong and when the final buzzer sounded the score remained 2-1 in favor of MC.
KEY STATS
- Both teams were evenly matched offensively throughout the match. MC had 14 shots in the match and Barry had 11 shots in the match.
- The real difference in the match was goalkeeping,
Andrea McDonald had four saves on the day and was a brick wall down the final stretch shutting down every opportunity the Buccaneers had.
- With the win the Lady Choctaws are one of 16 teams still left in the field of play in the NCAA Tournament, and also with the win it is the furthest MC has made it in the NCAA Tournament.
NEXT UP
- The Lady Choctaws will be back in action sometime next weekend in the Sweet Sixteen against Gulf South Conference foe Lee University. The location and time of the match is still TBD.
Mississippi College is a private Christian university located in Clinton, Mississippi with an enrollment of over 5,000 students. MC is recently finished their transition process back to NCAA Division II and the Gulf South Conference and will be competing for conference and national championships in the 2016-17 academic year.
The athletic department sponsors 17 intercollegiate athletic programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Football, Golf, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field, Men's and Women's Outdoor Track & Field and Volleyball.
For more information on Mississippi College athletics, please contact
David Nichols at 601-925-3234 or nichols@mc.edu.
#MC#
