Box Score Axton, VA – The Piedmont College women's soccer team made it two titles in three seasons earlier today defeating Meredith College 2-1 in the final of the USA South Athletic Conference Championship Tournament at Smith River Sports Complex to earn their first conference title since winning the 2011 GSAC championship in their twilight year in the league.  The Lady Lions became the first Piedmont team to win a conference tournament championship since joining the USA South a year ago after the PC softball squad earned the school's first regular season title earlier this spring.

Piedmont was dominant early in today's USA South championship game scoring two first half goals while outshooting the Avenging Angels eight to one in the opening 45 minutes.  Getting Piedmont on the board first was senior Laura Goodwin who laid out for an outstretched header that fell between Meredith keeper Kelsey Hopper and an Avenging Angel defender. 

Goodwin's diving header, coming off a glancing header by freshman Savannah Castles, gave PC a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute of play.  Three minutes later, the Lady Lions doubled their margin when a Hopper error on the edge of the box gave the ball to Katie Zoller, a freshman forward from Piedmont who looked the part of the veteran calmly collecting the misplayed ball and beating a Meredith trailing defender to slot the ball to the side netting for a 2-0 lead. 

At the half, Piedmont looked to be cruising to a second conference title in the last three years until a familiar pattern reappeared in the early going of the second half of the title game.  The Lady Lions, who let a goal in less than two minutes after the second half started in yesterday's 3-1 victory over Covenant, again allowed an early score in the second half vs. Meredith as the Avenging Angels punished a misplayed clearance from PC to cut the margin in half at 2-1 in the 50th minute. 

Meredith would keep the pressure on the Lady Lions in the second half outshooting the tourney's highest remaining seed 8-3 though PC would hold the shot advantage for the match 11-9.  Despite the tale of two halves, Piedmont's defense held strong in the closing minutes as the seconds ticked away and the team claimed a USA South tournament title for the first time. 

Goal scorer Laura Goodwin, who led the Lady Lions in shots today with her four all of which found the target, was named the Tournament MVP for scoring the first goal of yesterday's 3-1 win over the Scots and today's 2-1 win in the final over Meredith.

Four more Lady Lions made the All-Tournament Team including Lyndsey Nichols, Savannah Castles, Shayna Rogers, and Katie Zoller.  The five earning All-Tourney honors is the most by a Lady Lion squad in the program's NCAA era. 

With the win, Piedmont moves to 17-2-2 tying the NCAA era record for wins in a season by a Lady Lion soccer team, a mark set by the 2011 squad with its 17-3-1 overall record.  The victory also hands Piedmont the league's automatic berth into the NCAA National Tournament, the program's second such appearance in the last three seasons under Piedmont Head Coach Stephen Andrew.

Piedmont now awaits word on where they will head in the NCAA National Tournament as the Selection Show is set for Monday, November 11th on NCAA.com.  The Lady Lions traveled to Emory University in their last NCAA appearance taking on the host Eagles in a four-team regional falling 3-0 to the nation's #3 ranked team at the time.

Tournament Schedule

First Round - Saturday, November 2 #8 LaGrange - 1   #1 Maryville - 3 #7 Greensboro - 0   #2 Piedmont - 1 #6 Covenant - 1   #3 Averett - 0 #5 Meredith - 1   #4 Methodist - 0 (ot)

Semifinals - Friday, November 8 (Smith River Sports Complex - Martinsville, VA) #5 Meredith - 1   #1 Maryville - 1 (Meredith advances on PKs, 4-2) #6 Covenant - 1   #2 Piedmont - 3

Final - Saturday, November 9 (Smith River Sports Complex - Martinsville, VA) #5 Meredith - 1   #2 Piedmont - 2