KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Mhairi Fyfe gave Campbellsville University women's soccer its first ever NCCAA National Tournament semifinals appearance with a golden goal in overtime Wednesday to beat Houghton College, 2-1.
BOX SCORE
With only 2:27 off the clock in the first OT, Devon Burnside delivered a cross over the top of the defense and Fyfe used a header to beat the Houghton goalkeeper far post. Watch the video, HERE!
"That was a great offensive attack," CU head coach Thom Jones said. "Chelsea Gill used a nice pass to Devon down the side streaking and she one touched over the top to Foz (Fyfe). She was there at the right time and went far post with a header. What a way to end it. It doesn't get better than that."
The Lady Tigers will now play No. 2 seed Lee University (Tenn.) on Friday, Dec. 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET. You can watch the game live, HERE, or watch live stats, HERE. It will be a rematch of the NCCAA Mid-East Region championship, which Lee won 4-0 on Nov. 19.
"I want to play Lee again," Jones said. "If we would have tied, we would have played Grace but since we won we will play Lee. The way I look at it is if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best."
Fyfe's header in the 93rd minute was her first goal of the NCCAA National Tournament and 24th of the season to lead Campbellsville.
Campbellsville had all the momentum in the second half but could not get over the hump to score. Multiple balls were played in the box but the timing was just off for the CU attack.
Chelsea Gill gave the Lady Tigers the lead, 1-0, in the eighth minute off a right footed ball to the far post from 18 yards out. But Houghton came right back down just three minutes later and Jessica Beattle beat the CU defense down the middle to knott the match at one.
It was the second-straight game the Lady Tigers scored but got complacent giving their opponent a chance to tie.
"We made a mental mistake after our goal," Jones said. "No one picked up the runner coming through the middle of the field when we tried to get an offsides call."
The remaining 83 minutes were a knock-down, drag-out. Both teams had chances but CU goalkeeper Amanda Howard stepped up big time with four saves. Two of those were diving stops to keep the game knotted at one.
Houghton goalkeeper Shawna Sprout also had a big night with seven saves.
"We had the momentum the whole second half," Jones said. "When the overtime period started I wanted the girls to stay strong and dig deep. They all have big hearts, and I knew they weren't going to give in to the pressure. They took it upon themselves and attacked early in the OT period to end it. What a way to end it. This is awesome."
The final four teams left in the NCCAA National Championships are all the top four seeds and will remain in their same seeding after the semifinal seeding was set: No. 1 Grace College (Ind.), No. 2 Lee, No. 3 Campbellsville and No. 3 Houghton.
Houghton will take on Grace College at 3:30 p.m. ET also with the two winning teams meeting Saturday at 5:45 p.m. ET for the national championship.
Campbellsville women's soccer is the sixth CU sports program to advance to the NCCAA semifinals during their first NCCAA national tournament appearance since CU rejoined the NCCAA in 2008.
"The ride is still going," Jones said. "It's awesome to look at my phone after the game seeing all of the support from people back home. Having the BASC filled with fans and hearing the stories gives me chills. I hope everyone will continue to support this group throughout this #RewritingHistory tour through Florida."
You can watch Wednesday night's game live – HERE. Also, for in-game updates check out@CvilleTigers and @CUWSTiger.
In addition to game-day coverage, CU Sports Information Graduate Assistant and Lady Tiger soccer travel companion, Jordan Alves, will keep fans updated from the NCCAA Women's Soccer National Championships in Kissimmee, Fla. You can find the tournament central page HERE
