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University of North Florida Athletics

Osprey players surround the Liberty keeper as she punches the ball over the crossbar in the ASUN semifinal match
ASUN Photos
1
Winner Liberty LIB (6-5-5, 2-3-3)
0
North Florida UNF (10-2-0, 6-0-0)
Winner
Liberty LIB
(6-5-5, 2-3-3)
1
Final
0
North Florida UNF
(10-2-0, 6-0-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Liberty LIB 0 1 1
North Florida UNF 0 0 0

Game Recap: Women's Soccer | | North Florida Athletics

Late Liberty Goal Ends Ospreys Strong Season in ASUN Semifinal

KENNESAW, Ga. -- North Florida controlled possession in the first half and created some scoring chances in the second but a goal in the closing 10 minutes of play allowed Liberty to slip past the Ospreys, 1-0, in semifinal action at the ASUN Tournament on Thursday.

RECORDS
North Florida | 10-2-0 (6-0-0 ASUN)
Liberty | 6-5-5 (2-3-3 ASUN)

GOALS
LU - 80' | Meredith King (Chloe Marr, Rachel DeRuby)

HOW IT HAPPENED
- North Florida boasted a significant possession advantage in the first half as the two squads battled through a feeling out period
- Liberty created the first scoring chance in the 4th minute when a corner kick service was rolling around free just yards from the goal before a diving Mercedes Sapp swallowed up a shot off the foot of a Flames attacker
- In the 11th minute, Thais Reiss generated the first quality chance for the Ospreys, lacing a shot from just outside the top of the box that slipped wide of the right goal post
- UNF sent a ball into the box off a free kick in the 23rd minute that was punched away by the Liberty keeper
- Ospreys mounted a flurry of shots in the closing minutes of the first period as Ari Munoz had a shot from inside 10 yards deflected over the cross bar and Sophia Thompson volleyed a corner kick service that sailed just above the cross bar
- Kendra Hoffman saw a header in the box deflected away by a Liberty defender in the closing seconds of the half
- After playing to a scoreless draw through the first 45 minutes, North Florida raced out of the intermission and got a solid shot attempt from Munoz go left of the goal just minutes into play
- Carmel Oliveiro had a shot attempt sail high before Vanessa Piermont tallied a pair of shots midway through the half that were both turned away by the LU keeper
- In the 68th minute, the Flames crossed the ball to the top of the box where Sapp ran out to try and deflect it. Liberty's Lissi Gordon got her shot past Sapp but Marissa House was able to block the shot to keep the game tied
- The Flames would net the eventually match winner in the 80th minute on a well placed through ball from Chloe Marr to a streaking Meredith King, who had split a pair of UNF defenders with her run and then was able to just slip her shot past a diving attempt from Sapp

 
QUICK KICKS
- North Florida ends their season at 10-2-0, marking their second consecutive double-digit victory total | Ospreys also claimed the ASUN South Division crown in the regular season with an undefeated 6-0-0 mark
- UNF was making just its third appearance in the ASUN semifinals and first since 2012
- Game marked just the second time all season that UNF had been held scoreless in a match
- North Florida held a 10-9 edge in shot attempts for the contest
- Liberty advances to Saturday's ASUN championship match at 1 p.m., versus the winner of the second semifinal match between Kennesaw State and FGCU

FAULCONER TALES
"Obviously disappointed with the result, but credit to Liberty for beating the North and South division champions in back to back games. We wish them luck in the final.  I thought we had them on  the back foot in the first half, but was a bit disappointed with our second half performance.  They were very organized defensively and we never really had any good looks on goal.  Our decisions in the final third and our inability to create a shot ended up hurting us in the end.  I really appreciate the efforts of our senior class for their commitment to help build this program.  They have been fantastic representatives of our university.  I am excited about the future of our program. There are a ton of positives and I firmly believe we will be a factor in this conference for years to come."
- Head coach Eric Faulconer

UP NEXT
North Florida ends its Spring 2021 campaign and will turn its attention to the 2021 fall slate set to begin in late August.


 
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Players Mentioned

Kendra Hoffman

#21 Kendra Hoffman

MF
5' 4"
Junior
Criminal Justice | Psychology
Marissa House

#15 Marissa House

D
5' 3"
Redshirt Freshman
Psychology
Vanessa Piermont

#31 Vanessa Piermont

F/D
5' 7"
Junior
Health Science
Thais Reiss

#10 Thais Reiss

M/F
5' 8"
Senior
Sport Management
Sophia Thompson

#27 Sophia Thompson

MF
5' 5"
Senior
Health Science
Ariana Munoz

#8 Ariana Munoz

MF
5' 8"
Junior
Health Science
Mercedes Sapp

#99 Mercedes Sapp

GK
5' 6"
Graduate Student
Master's - Communication Management (Leadership)

Players Mentioned

Kendra Hoffman

#21 Kendra Hoffman

5' 4"
Junior
Criminal Justice | Psychology
MF
Marissa House

#15 Marissa House

5' 3"
Redshirt Freshman
Psychology
D
Vanessa Piermont

#31 Vanessa Piermont

5' 7"
Junior
Health Science
F/D
Thais Reiss

#10 Thais Reiss

5' 8"
Senior
Sport Management
M/F
Sophia Thompson

#27 Sophia Thompson

5' 5"
Senior
Health Science
MF
Ariana Munoz

#8 Ariana Munoz

5' 8"
Junior
Health Science
MF
Mercedes Sapp

#99 Mercedes Sapp

5' 6"
Graduate Student
Master's - Communication Management (Leadership)
GK