Need to Know
Score: Piedmont 1, Maryville 0
Records: Lady Lions 17-4-1, Maryville 13-6-0
Location: Greensboro, North Carolina
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Piedmont College women's soccer team defeated Maryville College 1-0 on Saturday to claim its third USA South Athletic Conference Championship in four years.
With the win, the Lady Lions have won four conference championships since joining the league in 2012. In just his second season as Piedmont head coach, Timmy McCormack improves to 33-4-5 and adds a conference tournament championship to go along with the 2017 conference regular season championship.
Piedmont freshman and tournament MVP
ALLIE KUZEL scored the game-winner in the 35th minute of the first half.
GABBY LOTTER was able to possess an
ABBY COX pass on the left side of the field and found Kuzel who was streaking into the Scots' 18-yard box. A Maryville defender tried to clear the ball but Kuzel used her strength to keep possession and beat the keeper for the early goal.
The Lady Lions (17-4-1) closed out the first half leading 9-2 in shots and placed five shots on goal.
Piedmont continued to hold strong in the second half and once again limited Maryville (13-6-0) to two shots.
With close to 10 minutes left in the game, desperation started to creep in on the Maryville sideline as Piedmont played keep away and prevented the Scots from taking any chances.
CASSIE KIRK,
NATALIE MUNOZ, Kuzel,
KATELYN SMITH and
MIRANDA MCNALLEY were named to the All-Tournament team following the game.
During the regular season, Kuzel was held scoreless before scoring twice in the tournament.
Piedmont will learn its NCAA tournament destination on Monday as the NCAA hosts its selection show.
For more information, make sure to follow Piedmont Athletics on twitter (@piedmontlions) and piedmontlions.com will stay up to date with any new information.
Inside the Box Score
-- Piedmont outshot Maryville 14-4 and held a 5-0 advantage in corner kicks.
Standout Performances
-- For the tournament, McNalley recorded nine saves and allowed one goal in three games.
News & Notes
-- This is the third conference championship in four years and fourth since joining the league in 2012.
How to Follow
To stay up to date on all information regarding Piedmont College Athletics, be sure to visit PiedmontLions.com and connect with the Green and Gold on social media. Follow the Lions on
Twitter: @PiedmontLions,
Instagram: @PiedmontLions, and
Facebook. To follow each Piedmont athletic program on social media, use the Social Media Directory at PiedmontLions.com or
click here.