Box Score
WINTER PARK - Considering how close the Sunshine State Conference was all season long, it was only fitting that the championship game of the SSC Tournament would end in a tie for the first time ever.
It was only fitting too, that in a tournament where every game went to overtime, overtime itself still wasn't enough to determine a champion. So in a game where Florida Southern and Saint Leo battled to a 1-1 draw, the Lions edged the Moccasins in a penalty kick tie-breaker to claim their first SSC championship.
Officially, the game goes into the books as a tie, even though Saint Leo had a 3-2 advantage in penalty kicks. It was the only way to decide Sunday's match, and even then, it may not be the final chapter. Saint Leo earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II South Region Tournament, but Florida Southern will almost certainly receive one of four at-large bids when selections are announced Monday afternoon. That means another meeting with Saint Leo could be on the horizon.
Both teams used set plays to score their goals on Sunday, with Florida Southern (14-4-1) striking first. Liz Gorman got things going for the Moccasins by serving a corner kick into the box, where Christina Crooks headed it forward toward the goal. The header was a strong one and might have resulted in a goal anyway, but Princess Haley made sure it counted by re-directing the ball into the net. It was Haley's third goal of the tournament and her 14th of the season.
Saint Leo finally got the equalizer with 7:59 remaining in the second half, taking advantage of a free kick. With the ball placed near midfield on the Moccasin side of the field, Courtney Kassab sent the ball into the box where Lizzie Seedhouse got the first touch for Saint Leo. That got it to Pia Soesemann who gained position in time for a shot inside the right post.
Neither team had another strong scoring chance in regulation, but Florida Southern had more than one in overtime. The first of those came less than four minutes into the first extra period. Ashlie Haas had won the ball for Florida Southern on the defensive end of the field, and quickly got it outside to Linda Hoglund. Bringing it down the right flank, Hoglund crossed it back to the center for Erin Hopkins who was open at the top of the box. Hopkins got the shot off, but Saint Leo goalkeeper Lauren Hudson made a dazzling one-handed save at point blank range to keep the game tied.
Saint Leo would later threaten with a free kick just outside the penalty box with three minutes on the clock. Taking it from the right side, Sara Macko sent the ball curving toward the back side of the goal, but Kristen Vollmer was there to head it clear. The Mocs then stopped the ensuing corner kick to send the game into a second overtime.
The Mocs threatened right away with a shot by Haley in the opening seconds, and later got another shot from Haley with less than two minutes to play. A final chance came in the closing seconds when Haley got free for another shot inside the box, but was offside before she slid one inside the left post.
With the game ending at 1-1, both teams selected five shooters for the tie-breaker, with Florida Southern going first. Hoglund had the first attempt and it was saved by Hudson diving to her left. After Francesca Williams made Saint Leo's first attempt, Hudson came back with another save, this time going to her right to stop Gorman.
After the Lions hit the crossbar on their second attempt, Alex Hoover converted for Florida Southern. Hudson followed by taking one of the penalty kicks herself, and she too converted, giving Saint Leo a 2-1 lead at that point in the tie-breaker.
Jackie Bachteler (FSC) and Kiki Day (Saint Leo) each made their shots in the next round, but the game ended when Christina Crooks hit the Mocs' final attempt off the crossbar.
The big story, though, was Hudson. A four-time All-SSC selection, Hudson starred in a shootout for the second game in a row. She'd previously made two saves on Friday in a tie-breaker situation with Rollins in the semifinals. That came after a 10-save performance in an opening round victory over Lynn. The senior was named the MVP of the tournament.
Moccasin goalkeeper Martina Tangen Billing came up big on Sunday too, making six saves in regulation, though she wasn't tested in overtime. She also got help from her four defenders (Haas, Vollmer, Renee Heacock and Lexie Bottomley), with each of them making stops matched up solo against Saint Leo attackers.
Heacock made one of those against Crissy Darwell in the 72nd minute that broke up a possible one-on-one with Tangen Billing. She'd earlier stopped Hannah Beard after a long run in the first half. Haas also broke up an attack by Beard, forcing a corner kick in the first half where she again stopped the SSC Player-of-the-Year inside the box before a shot could be taken.
Haas was one of just five Moccasins named to the all-tournament team. Joining her were Crooks, Haley, Hopkins, and Tangen Billing.
Who the Moccasins will face in the first round of next week's NCAA Tournament is still an open matter. The Mocs came into this week ranked #4 in the regional poll, trailing West Florida, Rollins and Tampa. After beating Tampa in the SSC semifinals, Florida Southern could jump the Spartans back into the #3 position, which would pair the Moccasins with the region's #6 seed in the opening round.
That team was Florida Tech in the final regular season poll, but the Panthers went 2-5-1 down the stretch, leaving the door open for Montevallo from the Gulf South Conference. Montevallo finished as the GSC regular season runner-up and lost to West Florida in the GSC Tournament final, 3-0.
West Florida and Rollins are expected to be named host sites for the regional, with three teams at each site. All of the selections will be announced on Monday at 5:00 p.m.
SL    0  1  0  0   -  1
FSC  1  0  0  0   -  1
SCORING: FSC--Haley (Gorman, Crooks), 27:27; SL--Soesemann (Kassab, Seedhouse), 82:01. SHOTS: SL 14, FSC 11. CORNER KICKS: SL 8, FSC 7. SAVES: SL 3 (Hudson), FSC 6 (Tangen Billing). FOULS: SL 17, FSC 12. CAUTIONS: Hudson (SL), 68:01; Haas (FSC), 96:31.
