HICKORY, N.C. - Facing a two-goal deficit heading into the 81st minute of play, junior Idoia Agirre scored back-to-back goals in a four-minute span to send the match into overtime where fifth-seeded Anderson University women's soccer advanced to the SAC Championship semifinals with a 4-2 victory in penalty kicks over fourth-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne, Tuesday evening at the Moretz Sports - Athletic Complex.
With the draw, the Trojans advance to the semifinals for the first time since the 2011 season where they also advanced on penalty kicks following a scoreless draw. The 2-2 tie also gives Anderson its first point against Lenoir-Rhyne since joining the league in 2010, as it sees its first draw of the season, moving to 14-3-1 for the year. The Bears will wait to learn their NCAA Tournament fate on Monday, as they end their SAC Tournament run with a 12-4-2 overall record.
Agirre led the offensive charge, tallying eight of AU's 14 shots for the night, as four found the frame. The tandem of senior Emily Cowan and freshman Kenzie Van Heusen followed with two shots apiece, while senior Faith Johannes and freshman Megan Foster each added a shot.
"The girls were brilliant tonight," Anderson head coach Ciaran Traquair said. "Idoia (Agirre) gets it done again when we needed it the most."
Anderson started slowly, as the home side found the scoreboard first in the 40th minute when midfielder Jessica Tooley sent a corner kick into the Anderson box. The ball found Kim Migliarese and she knocked her first goal of the season to give the Bears a first-half one-goal advantage.
Lenoir-Rhyne closed the opening half with 11 shots compared to the Trojans' five, but the Migliarese goal would be the only tally of the first half, sending the contest into halftime.
In the second half, the Bears extended their lead in the 78th minute, as Garcelle Alequine streaked past the Trojan backline and totaled her 11th goal of the season. The goal would match Anderson's largest deficit of the season.
AU needed to answer quickly and Agirre responded in the 82nd minute when Cowan sent a corner kick into the L-R box. The cross found the head of Agirre who floated a shot past Lenoir-Rhyne goalkeeper Loren Sterling to bring the Trojans back and make the score 2-1. The tally marks Agirre's 11th match with at least one goal.
Needing to find its equalizer, Agirre stuck again when senior midfielder Mariana Poveda found the open striker and she fired a shot into the back of the net for her league-leading 22nd goal of the season. The 86th-minute goal evened the match at 2-2 and sent the contest into extra time. L-R added two more shots before the end of regulation, but could not beat substitute goalkeeper Bianca Porras.
Both teams saw their chances in both overtime periods, as the squads combined for 12 shots in the final 20 minutes. In the second overtime period, L-R attacker Leah Mullins saw a shot bounce off the crossbar, while Agirre countered with a shot that knocked off the post seconds later. The close calls were not enough, as the match was forced into penalty kicks.
Van Heusen got Anderson off to a hot start after she connected on the first attempt of the penalty-kick round. After L-R's Emmi Dunn misfired on her attempt with Anderson goalkeeper Abby Helm making the stop, Johannes handed the visitors a 2-0 lead after she made her attempt.
With the 2-0 lead, Lenoir-Rhyne's Rachel Bailey could not find the back of the net with another Helm save and gave the Trojans a significant advantage. Agirre stepped up, following the miss, and beat Sterling to put the Trojans ahead, 3-0. Needing a goal to stay alive, L-R's Amber Madriaga beat Helm for the home side's first tally of the round.
After a misfire by the Trojans to begin the fourth round, the Bears answered with Jessica Feronti beating Helm, pushing the score to 4-2 heading into the final round.
With the match on the line, Poveda stepped up to the spot and placed a shot past Sterling to send Anderson to the semifinals, as the Trojans claimed the 4-2 victory in penalty kicks.
"You can only sit back and enjoy watching this group compete," Traquair said. "We were excellent tonight and they even surprised me to be able to kick on when they looked buried. I've never been prouder of a group of individuals in my life. This is the biggest result our program has ever had and I think it sets the standard for the future. We are 'all in' for Rock Hill."
Helm closed the match with 10 saves, marking her second-highest total of her collegiate career. For the year, opponents are 3-for-6 against Helm in penalty kicks.
Anderson looks to advance to the SAC Championship title match for the first time in program history when it squares off with top-seeded Carson-Newman, which moved on to the semifinals following a 1-0 victory over eighth-seeded Lincoln Memorial. That semifinal match is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Rock Hill's Manchester Meadows.
