DATE: Nov. 5, 2016

Stats at a Glance PC SC Record 14-6-1 18-1-1 USA South Record 10-3-1 12-1-1 Goals/GM 2.00 3.10 Goals Allowed/GM 0.79 0.35 Shots/GM 14.1 19.5 Shutouts 10 14

TIME: 2:00 pm ET
LOCATION: Raleigh, North Carolina
FACILITY: Meredith Athletic Field
LAST MEETING: SC 1-0 (10.5.16@SC)
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STORYLINES
--Piedmont heads to a conference final for the 6th time in 8 seasons.
--Salem is the only USA South program that Piedmont faced in the regular season and did not defeat at least once.
--Last year's title, which was handed out to Piedmont, was done so on the same field as Saturday's title will be.

MATCH FACTS
Piedmont will play in the USA South Championship Game against Salem College on Saturday, November 5 with kickoff between the two set for 2:00 pm ET in Raleigh, North Carolina.  The game will be hosted at Meredith Athletic Field on the Meredith College campus. Live video and live stats will be available for fans unable to make the trip to watch live in person. Admission will be charged since it is a USA South postseason contest ($3 faculty, staff, students, seniors, children; $6 general adult admission).

SCOUTING SALEM
Salem brings an 18-1-1 overall record to the USA South Championship Game on Saturday as the #1 seed out of the West Division.  The Spirits needed overtime on Friday to knock off Methodist 3-2 in a dramatic finish with a game-winning goal in the 96th minute by Jordan Lanier.  The golden goal from Lanier put her in a tie with USA South Player of the Year Brooke Bukas for the team's leading scorer spot with each tallying 10 on the season.  Salem's two goals given up in the Semifinals vs. Methodist was out of character for the Spirits who had a 0.25 goals against average coming into the match-up with the Monarchs.  

SERIES RECORDS
Piedmont owns a slim 4-3-1 edge in the series between the two but the Spirts have had the better of it lately winning two of the last three match-ups.  These two have seen each other twice in the postseason when they shared time as members of the Great South Athletic Conference.  The first came in 2010 when Piedmont edged the Spirits 1-0 at Walker Athletic Complex to advance to the GSAC title game.  In the 2011 GSAC Semifinals, it was Piedmont again who came out on top in a wild one with a 4-3 victory despite going down 2-0 in the first eight minutes of play.  Piedmont's Laura Goodwin scored in that contest in the 9th minute to make it a 2-1 game before Salem scored in the 32nd minute to go back up two.  However, PC scored twice in a 42-second time span to tie it up before halftime going on to win courtesy of a Taylor Hockley goal in the second half. 

ALL GOOD THINGS...
As is the case, all good streaks must come to an end and a unique one for Piedmont came to end in their Semifinal win vs. Meredith.  With the goal that Piedmont conceeded in the first half, a shutout streak in USA South postseason games stretching nearly 650 minutes over eight USA South postseason games for PC was snapped.  Before Friday's first half goal that Meredith scored, the last goal Piedmont had given up in a USA South postseason game came in the 2013 Championship Game when PC defeated Meredith 2-1 to win the USA South title.  Since that point, Piedmont collected shutouts vs. Maryville, Methodist, Huntingdon, Covenant, and NC Wesleyan on two occassions.  

LOOKING AROUND THE POSTSEASON
It was an overtime classic on both sides of the Semifinals on Friday in Raleigh as both Piedmont and Salem needed extra time to decide a winner.  For the Lady Lions, it was a double overtime win over the tourney host and #1 seed in the East Meredith College while Salem knocked off the East's #2 seed in Methodist University.  Now it's the #3 seed Piedmont and #1 seed Salem, both from the West Division, who meet in the USA South Championship Game on Saturday. 

GOALKEEPING RECORDS
For Salem:  Hannah Wagner 14-1-1...Kimmi Templeton 3-0.
For Piedmont: CIERRA BELINKIE 9-2...ASHLYN ATNIP 5-4-1.

LAST TIME OUT: MEREDITH (2-1 WIN, USA SEMIFINALS)
It was a different day, but the same story for the Piedmont College women's soccer team in Raleigh as the Lady Lions again found magic in overtime of a USA South postseason contest defeating tournament host Meredith College 2-1 in double overtime on Friday afternoon. 

Meredith controlled the first half looking the part of the #1 seed from the East Division with 11 shots to Piedmont's five in the opening 45 minutes.  It was Hannah Lawrence of the home team who put them up 1-0 with her hard strike in the box off a deflected corner in the 27th minute. 

Regrouping at half, Piedmont came out on fire with junior ERIN BRIGHT scoring on a cut-back from COURTNEY BELL in the 50th minute equalizing the board less than five after the break.  

From that point on, the two battled with each getting time on the ball having chances to end it in regulation, but overtime would be needed to settle the score. 

With the first OT quiet, Piedmont found its magic in double overtime once more as a pass to JAZMIN PENADO found the sophomore with space about 30 yards from goal.  

As cool as the music genre her nickname came from, Jazz stepped up and crafted a strike from distance that just snuck in over the out-stretched hand of Jaisa Loch and under the crossbar for a 2-1 win sending Piedmont on to the conference final for the second straight year.  

NEXT UP FOR PIEDMONT
Should Piedmont earn a win in the USA South Championship Game on Saturday afternoon, the Lady Lions would take the USA South's automatic berth into the NCAA National Tournament for a third time in four years.