Nov. 7, 2008

Box Score

Mt. Pleasant, S.C. - UNC Greensboro converted all four of its attempts in a penalty kick shootout to advance past Furman 4-2 in the first Southern Conference semifinal match Friday at Patriots Point.

UNC Greensboro's Kelsey Kearney, the SoCon first team all-conference goalkeeper, made two saves during the penalty kicks to send the Spartans to the championship game Sunday afternoon. Lauren Lopez, Katelynn Donovan, Jenn Partenheimer and Kristin Player all converted on penalty kicks for UNCG.

Furman's Margaret Antonik connected on the first PK attempt for Furman, but Kate Myatt and Martha Hall saw their shots saved by Kearney. Katya Gokhman had the final tally for Furman during the PK session.

The Paladins (14-6-2) nearly ended the game in the second minute of overtime as Martha Hall fired a shot from above the box that hit the crossbar just 1:18 into the extra session. That proved to be the best chance for either team during the sudden-victory phase of the game.

Furman nearly got on the board in the 13th minute when Katya Gokhman fired a shot from inside the box that hit the right post and deflected back into play before the Spartans were able to clear it. The Paladins kept up the attack midway through the first stanza as Hall fired a shot from 10 yards out that forced Kearney to make a diving save.

The Paladins continued their attack as just two minutes later, Furman had its third quality scoring chance of the half as Margaret Antonik carried the ball up the right side and sent a pass to the left of the goal where Sara El-Shami's header just bounced wide of the post.

Furman held an 8-1 advantage over UNC Greensboro (16-4-2) in shots and 3-0 in corner kicks during the first half.

After both teams carried possession throughout the second half, Gokham nearly ended the game with five seconds remaining when she took a shot from just inside the top of the box, but Kearney reached out with her right hand and deflected the ball back into the field of play as time expired.

Furman finished with a 17-5 edge in shots and 8-2 advantage in shots on goal. Freshman Jessica Smith made two saves and recorded her eight shutout of the season in goal. The Franklin, Tenn., product helped Furman to its fourth straight shutout while running her consecutive scoreless minutes streak to 411:50.

Furman finishes the season at 14-6-2 while UNCG improves to 16-4-2 and advances to face Western Carolina at 1 p.m. Sunday in the SoCon Championship match.