Foley, Ala.  – [Final Site Schedule] [Bracket] Day one of the 2023 NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship was full of excitement. The first two games of the day were decided by one goal, while the final game of the day needed penalties to decide a winner. Central Methodist (Mo.) took care of business with a stellar 4-0 win over Hastings (Neb.).

GAME NOTES/HIGHLIGHTS

No. 1 William Carey (Miss.) def. Keiser (Fla.), 1-0

• Zara Board of Keiser came up big with the one-on-one save at the eight-minute mark to keep it scoreless.
• Board comes up big once again for the Seahawks in the 22^nd minute as Mariangela Jimenez could not find net with the low shot.
• Keiser has their first look on goal in the 23^rd minute from distance, but Marlen Kelm of William Carey (Miss.) collects the easy save.
• Keiser has another good look on goal as Kannady Ramona sends one in, but William Carey had a defender in front to keep the score tied at zeros.
• The Seahawks have another great look on goal but was picked up by Marlen Kelm the goalkeeper for William Carey.
• Maria Azarias broke the tie in the 56^th minute, sneaking it near post to lead 1-0.
• William Carey (Miss.) dominated the shots column over Keiser (Fla.) 18-7.

No. 9 Aquinas (Mich.) def. No. 8 John Brown (Ark.), 2-1

• Aquinas (Mich.) gets on the board first in game two as Brittney Probst finds Sydney Shenk one-on-one with the goalkeeper to put the Saints on top in the 12^th minute.
• Brooklyn Hendricks of John Brown (Ark.) in the 17^th minute created some space to send a shot through traffic onto goal, but Kayla Shuk was able to track it and keep her Saints in the lead.
• John Brown (Ark.) had a good look on goal with a header in the 26^th minute, but it went just wide left.
• Maeva Lichtensteiger for AQ had a great look on goal around eight yards out, but Emily Dobbins was able to make the collapsing save to her left and keep the score line 1-0 at the 40^th minute mark.
• Sydney Shenk helps to extend her team’s lead in the 52^nd minute as she found Macy Hollingsworth around the seven-yard mark for a redirect goal.
• The Saints had another great look on frame just minutes after their second goal, but JBU goalkeeper Emily Dobbins got her hand on the ball to push it over the crossbar.
• The Golden Eagles answered in the 57^th minute, netting their first goal of the game off the foot of Julia Lambert cutting the score back to a one goal margin.
• John Brown (Ark.) had a good opportunity after a foul on the corner of the 18-yard box, but the Saints were able to handle the threat with ease.
• The Saints lead the Golden Eagles in shots 12-8.

No. 4 Central Methodist (Mo.) def. Hastings (Neb.), 4-0

• Central Methodist (Mo.) had the first opportunity of the game for either team in the sixth minute but pushed the chance wide of the post.
• CMU had another pressing chance in the 10^th minute on the edge of the 18-yard box, which was punched out of bounds by the Broncos goalkeeper.
• Jackson Pedersen collected the Eagles corner kick well through traffic, eliminating CMU’s chance to net the opening goal.
• CMU struck first in the third game of the day as they found the back of the net in the 29^th minute off the foot of Andrea Jimenez and assisted by Mariana Barreto.
• Larissa Ozorio took the free kick from the top corner of the 18-yard box sending it to the back post where Nerea Munoz was able to find the side netting for the 2-0 lead in the 39^th minute.
• Two minutes after scoring the second goal of the game, Celine Witt sent the ball long over the back line of Hastings (Neb.) as Kirstine Lykke ran onto it and was able to pass the goalkeeper pushing their lead to 3-0.
• Central Methodist (Mo.) pushed their lead out even more early in the second half as Delia Letelier sent a cross in the box for Celine Witt to score the fourth goal of the match.
• Kailee Lunzer has a good look on goal in the 70^th minute for an attempt to get the Broncos on the board, but it was straight into the gloves of the CMU goalkeeper Candela Blanco Esteban.
• This Round of 16 win was the Eagles ninth shutout of the 2023 season.

No. 12 Tennessee Southern ties Benedictine (Kan.), 1-1 (2OT) advances 3-0 in shootout

• Benedictine (Kan.) put the pressure on UT Southern (Tenn.) early with a shot in just the second minute which the Firehawks called upon goalkeeper Layken Stockstill to make the save.
• Tennessee Southern had their first look on goal in the sixth minute as Nao Katamoto sent one in on frame, but the Ravens goalkeeper Mackenzie Korzenecki was there for the easy save.
• UT Southern (Tenn.) had a open look on frame in the 18^th minute as Marina Nawa let the shot fly, but once again Korzenecki was there for the save to keep things scoreless.
• Firehawks had another look on goal in the 22^nd minute, but the Ravens goalkeeper tracked it through some traffic to make the save as she shuffled to her right.
• Benedictine (Kan.) got some offensive momentum rolling late in the first half with back-to-back shots from Riley Degner as UT Southern blocked both as they continued to hold the score at 0-0.
• The Ravens delivered a good set piece into the box in the 42^nd minute, but Stockstill and the Firehawks were able to avoid the threat with ease.
• Benedictine (Kan.) had a great look right from the start of the second half as they played it long to Rachel Beffa who took the shot, but UT Southern once again stepped in front and blocked the shot before it reached the goalkeeper.
• Sam Mausbach for the Ravens netted the first goal of the game in the 58^th minute on a well-placed cross that bent around the near post to lead NAIA Women’s Soccer perennial power Tennessee Southern.
• Tennessee Southern knotted the game up late in the 83^rd minute as Miran Sakai created some space for the shot, sending it just over the diving hands of the Ravens goalkeeper.
• In the final 90-seconds of regulation, the Firehawks earned a dangerous free kick near the box, which caused the ball to bounce around for a short time before Korzenecki corralled it.
• Benedictine (Kan.) had a nice look as the clock dwindled down in the final seconds of regulation, but the Ravens were unable to get a piece of it.
• This overtime marked the first extra time needed this year at the final site.
• Keito Ido had a good look in the 102nd minute to break the tie, but in a game that was highlighted by the goalkeepers, Korzenecki made the stop.
• The Ravens sent a great opportunity into the box after a foul near midfield but was headed over the net by UT Southern giving BC another set piece chance on a corner that went wide.
• We needed PKs to decide our winner and UT Southern stepped to the line with the idea that it was going to be them, and it was as they defeated Benedictine (Kan.) 3-0 on PKs to survive and advance to the Quarterfinals Thursday evening.

COVERAGE

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