Belmont Abbey, UNC Pembroke Advance to Conference Carolinas Women’s Soccer Championship Final
BARTON-UNC PEMBROKE BOX SCORE | BELMONT ABBEY-FRANCIS MARION BOX SCORE
Bracket | Tournament Homepage | Final Site Live Video | Final Site Tickets | Final Site Live Stats
BROWNS SUMMIT, N.C.– Top-seeded UNC Pembroke, the two-time defending tournament champions, and second-seeded Belmont Abbey advanced to the 2023 Conference Carolinas Women’s Soccer Championship final on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 4 p.m. at Truist Stadium at Bryan Park in Browns Summit.
The Braves defeated fourth-seeded Barton 1-0 in the first semifinal on Friday night while the Crusaders defeated third-seeded Francis Marion,1-0, in the second semifinal.
Playing their first game in two weeks, UNC Pembroke and the Bulldogs played even over the opening 60 minutes, but the Braves broke through in the 61st as Mario Cancio’s pass split the defense and Ashleigh Harris netted her seventh goal of the season off the keeper’s fingers for what proved to be the game-winner. UNCP tallied 19 shots, 13 in the second half, to seven for Barton with six on frame to two for the Bulldogs. Cara Davis tallied four saves for Barton in the loss while Chiara Coppin posted two saves in the victory.
It took nearly 86 minutes to get a winner in the second semifinal as Belmont Abbey’s Logan Parry got behind the defense and sent a pass across the front of the goal where Sabrina Cunha had a quick touch inside the far post for the game-winner. The Crusaders outshot the Patriots 12-7 with seven shots on goal to four for FMU. Makayla Willets tallied six saves in the loss, including the 300th of her career, while Brianna Sroka made four saves in the win.
Fans can watch every game of the tournament live via the Conference Carolinas Digital Network and BlueFrame at conferencecarolinasdn.com. Information regarding the championship schedule, bracket and the Truist Soccer Complex at Bryan Park are available
here.
2023 Conference Carolinas Women’s Soccer Championship
First Round – Wednesday, November 1 (Higher Seed Hosts)
#4 Barton def. #9 Young Harris, 4-0
#5 Mount Olive def. #8 Lees-McRae, 1-0
#6 North Greenville def. #7 Chowan, 2-0
Quarterfinals – Saturday, November 4 (Higher Seed Hosts)
#4 Barton def. #5 Mount Olive, 1-0
#3 Francis Marion def. #6 North Greenville, 1-0
Semifinals – Friday, November 10 (Truist Soccer Complex at Bryan Park – Browns Summit, N.C.)
#1 UNC Pembroke def. #4 Barton, 1-0
#2 Belmont Abbey def. #3 Francis Marion, 1-0
Final – Sunday, November 12 (Truist Soccer Complex at Bryan Park – Browns Summit, N.C.)
#1 UNC Pembroke vs. #2 Belmont Abbey, 4 p.m.