USCB women’s soccer saw its Sun Conference tournament run end in the quarterfinals Saturday, falling just short to St. Thomas 2-1 at STU Soccer Field in Miami Gardens.
Andrea Manzur opened the scoring for the Bobcats in the ninth minute, evading a defender and drilling the ball into the corner of the net for a 1-0 lead. St. Thomas fed off the momentum and continued to put shots on goal, but Sand Shark goalkeeper Mariah Ruckdeschel rattled off five consecutive saves to keep the game within striking distance.
After a tremendous effort early on from USCB’s keeper, the Sand Sharks capitalized in the 21st minute to level the match. After Lauren Wood snatched the ball away from St. Thomas at midfield, Mari Kalvatn sent the ball forward to Synne Bye-Andersen who split a pair of defenders and calmly rolled the ball past a charging goalkeeper to tie the game at 1.
But a costly turnover gave the Bobcats back the advantage, as Angelica De Don picked up a Sand Shark clearing attempt and sent it into the back of the net in the 28th minute. USCB held off a flurry of Bobcat chances as the first half came to an end, keeping the lead to just a single goal at the break.
Kalvatn had a pair of stellar opportunities to tie the game early in the second half, but the Sun Conference’s leading scorer was denied by Melanie Lefebvre and sent another shot high. The Sand Sharks nearly found the equalizer with just five minutes to play in the contest, but a breakaway bid rattled the crossbar and bounced out of danger. After surviving the late scoring chance, St. Thomas controlled the possession the rest of the way to seal the 2-1 win and book its spot in the semifinals.
Ruckdeschel kept her team in the game against a terrific St. Thomas offense, making 11 saves on the afternoon.
USCB concludes the Sun Conference tournament with a record of 10-8-1 and await the announcement of the 40-team field for the NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship Opening Round on Nov. 15.
By Wes Kerr
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