NEWBERRY, S.C. (Nov. 8) – Junior
Orla Folan scored the game-winning goal in overtime on Friday night, as the No. 5 seeded Trojans upset the No. 1 seed Newberry by a 4-3 margin in the semifinals to advance to the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Championship.
With the win, the University of Mount Olive field hockey program improves to 11-7 overall and will play for the SAC Championship for the second time in program history. The Trojans will face No. 2 seed Limestone for the championship on Sunday, Nov. 10, at 2 p.m. Meanwhile, Newberry closes the year with a 15-4 record after entering the contest No. 8 in the latest national rankings.
In overtime, sophomore
Femke van Marle controlled the ball near the end line before delivering a cross in front of net, which was scored by Folan just 96 seconds in the period to advance to the finals.
Newberry immediately controlled possession to begin the contest and scored off a penalty corner at the 4:41 mark after Payton Keeler found the top left-corner of the cage, 1-0. Mount Olive responded with a pair of shots and a penalty corner, but ultimately finish the opening quarter trailing by one goal. The Trojans found more offensive success in the second after they out-shot their opponents by a 3-1 margin.
In a highly competitive third quarter, Mount Olive tied the game in the opening minutes as senior
Sophia Frugoni netted her third goal of the season at the 32:54 mark. Just 27 seconds later, the Wolves recaptured their one-goal advantage after Tamsin Bangert found the back of the cage. The Trojans answered back at the 36:01 mark as sophomore
Jemimah Kriechelberg delivered a pass to senior
Annefleur Moerkerken, who scored her team-leading 11th goal of the season, 2-2. At the 42:20 mark, Newberry jumped back ahead 3-2 off a goal from Parker Keeler. Moerkerken once again responded for the Trojans netting her second goal of the contest with just 17 seconds left in the quarter, 3-3. Newberry produced a dominant performance in the fourth quarter with a 7-0 edge in shots and 12 penalty corners, but the UMO defense held strong to send the contest to overtime.
Graduate student goalkeeper
Alanna Barrett set a career-high with eight saves while facing 15 shots.
Newberry finished with a 15-12 shot advantage while boasting a 17-7 lead in penalty corners.
Mount Olive returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 10, when it faces Limestone for the SAC Championship at 2 p.m.
