GREENSBORO, NC - Kara Koehrn had two goals and an assist and her assist on her sister Kristen's goal with 3:55 left was the game-winner as fifth-seeded Davidson knocked off top-seeded UNC Greensboro, 3-2, in the semifinal round of the 2004 Southern Conference Women's Soccer Tournament at UNCG Soccer Stadium on Saturday night.
The late tally capped a furious second-half rally after UNCG had dominated the first half, taking a 2-0 lead and outshooting the Wildcats, 9-0, in the first 45 minutes.
However, with less than four minutes to play Kara Koehrn's shot was knocked down, but Kristen Koehrn's shot was knocked into the net to cap the Wildcats rally and propel them into the SoCon title game for the first time since 1999.
It was the first time that Davidson (12-8-1) had defeated UNCG in the last eight meetings dating back to 1999.
UNC Greensboro (14-5-1) got on the board first just over 14 minutes into the contest. Nicollette DeLaine crossed a ball along the ground from the extreme right corner. Deven Beachum redirected the ball into the net for her 12th goal of the season and a 1-0 Spartan lead. It was DeLaine's fifth assist in two tournament games.
Cara Hammond gave UNCG a 2-0 lead with 7:10 left before halftime. Rakel Logadottir chipped the ball into the box and Hammond chipped the ball over Davidson's diving keeper for her fourth goal of the season.
The UNCG defense held Davidson without a shot on goal until the 41:13 mark of the second half, when the Wildcats hit the scoreboard. An initial shot by Heidi Wilbrandt hit the crossbar. However, a wide-open Kara Koehrn gathered the rebound on the opposite side of the box and put it home to cut the deficit in half.
Davidson tied the game with 20:02 to play when Kara Koehrn went high in the air to head in a corner kick by Anne Stevens. It was Koehrn's tenth goal of the season and third of the tournament.
UNCG had a chance to break the tie with 13:15 to play when Cara Hammond got free and had a point-blank shot, one-on-one with Davidson keeper Sarah Hobart. However, the first-team All-SoCon netminder came up big with a save on a blast by Hammond and kept the score tied.
However, Davidson broke the tie with 3:35 to play and held off the Spartans to pull off the upset and gain a bid into the title round. Davidson will face Furman on Sunday at 1 p.m. for the Southern Conference Tournament title and the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament field of 64.
AGATE
Davidson................. 0 3 - 3
UNC Greensboro...... 2 0 - 2
SCORING SUMMARY
1. 14:30 UNCG Deven Beachum (12) Nicollette DeLaine
2. 37:50 UNCG Cara Hammond (4) Rakel Logadottir
3. 48:48 DAV Kara Koehrn (9) Heidi Wilbrandt
4. 69:58 DAV Kara Koehrn (10) Anne Stevens
5. 86:05 DAV Kristen Koehrn (2) Kara Koehrn
SHOTS: UNCG 16, Davidson 8
CORNER KICKS: UNCG 8, Davidson 6
SAVES: UNCG 3 (Jennifer Stillman 3), Davidson 5 (Sarah Hobart 5)
FOULS: Davidson 17, UNCG 15
OFFSIDES: Davidson 3, UNCG 4
- UNCG -
