GREENWOOD, S.C. (Nov. 4) – Senior
Sophia Frugoni scored the game-winning goal on Monday night, as the No. 5 seed University of Mount Olive field hockey team captured a 2-1 victory at No. 4 Lander in the quarterfinals of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Tournament.
With the win, the Trojans reach double-digit victories for a third consecutive year and improve to 10-7 this season. Mount Olive will also be making a third appearance in the league semifinals and are set to face No. 1 seed Newberry on Friday, Nov. 8, at 5 p.m. Meanwhile, the Bearcats, the defending champions, finished the 2024 campaign with a 10-8 record.
Despite early opportunities for UMO, Lander grabbed the lead at the 8:30 mark of the first quarter with a goal off a penalty corner by Iris Van Der Does, 1-0. Mount Olive in the final four-plus minutes tallied three penalty corners and two shots but could not tie the contest. Following limited action for the majority of the second quarter, the Trojans tied the game at 1-1 at the 28:50 mark. Senior
Annefleur Moerkerken scored off a rebound from her initial shot for her team-leading 10th goal of the season. At halftime, Mount Olive held a 7-2 advantage in shots and a 4-1 edge in penalty corners.
In the third quarter, both sides once again battled for possession before UMO earned a penalty corner just past the 42-minute mark. Moerkerken received the initial pass before dishing it to Frugoni, who blasted the shot into the bottom-right corner of the cage to take the lead, 2-1. In the final 15 minutes, Mount Olive held the Bearcats to just one shot and zero penalty corners to secure the win.
Graduate student goalkeeper
Alanna Barrett collected one save in the start while playing all 60 minutes.
Mount Olive out-shot Lander by a 12-4 margin while boasting an 8-1 advantage in penalty corners.
The Trojans will travel to the championship site in Newberry, South Carolina, to face No. 1 seed Newberry in the semifinals at 5 p.m.
