Sweating it out

Lady Flames score in final minutes to defeat the Charlotte 49ers

fight — A Lady Flames defender fights for the ball during a very close battle against the Charlotte 49ers. Photo credit: Leah Seavers

Fight — A Lady Flames defender fights for the ball during a very close battle against the Charlotte 49ers. Photo credit: Leah Seavers

With only one minute to go in the final overtime period, freshman forward Jennifer Knoebel drove to the right side of the goal and placed a hard shot into the bottom left corner to give the Lady Flames soccer team (2-2) the 1-0 win over the University of North Carolina at Charlotte 49ers (1-3).

“It’s still so surreal to me,” Knoebel said. “I couldn’t believe it went in at first, but I looked up and it was in the back of the net, and it was just so exciting.”
The match between Liberty and the 49ers was a battle to the end, as the teams combined for 39 shots, 15 corner kicks and one yellow card in 109 minutes
of soccer.

“I feel like every game has been like that and we haven’t got the win, so it was nice to finally get the outcome and actually get what we deserve for once,” junior midfielder Brittany Aanderud said.

It was a tough, physical, hard-fought match, and it showed. Players were visibly fatigued, but Liberty kept fighting. In the two overtime periods, Liberty outshot Charlotte 9-2, as Charlotte’s goalkeeper, Annika McHenry, kept the 49ers in the game for as long as she could.

“I think we had momentum,” Aanderud said. “I felt it. I felt that we could win, but we haven’t been scoring that much, besides last game. So, I had some doubts, but we had so much momentum that I wasn’t surprised when we scored.”

Due to the extensive length of the game, fatigue began to kick in during the final minutes.

“I was definitely tired going into those last couple of minutes,” Knoebel said. “I never want to play for a tie. There’s always a chance to go for a win.”

Unlike the previous 25 shots, number 26 finally made it into the back of the net, clinching the Lady Flames second victory in four games.

“It’s great to win in overtime,” Head Coach Jessica Hain said. “It’s always really intense. In overtime, it is golden-goal overtime, so as soon as there’s a goal in the back of the net, the game is over. So it feels amazing to be on the victorious side.”

Overtime rules for collegiate soccer differ from professional soccer in that the first team who scores in overtime wins the game. However, in professional soccer, a goal in overtime will not immediately end the game.

“I like golden goal,” Hain said. “It requires that teams go to a more intense level at the very end of the game when they are tired. I think that’s great training to go into the NCAA tournament, because a winner has to come out of each game.”

Both teams had their opportunities in the game, as Liberty had eight shots on goal, while Charlotte had five. Alanna Dunkle and Aanderud combined for 14 of Liberty’s
26 total shots.

In the 77th minute, play heated up when Charlotte’s Tori Fubara was given a yellow card for unsportsmanlike behavior. As Fubara got tangled on the ground with one of the Lady Flames, she rose to her feet and shoved the Liberty player back to the ground, resulting in an immediate yellow card. Later in the half, Fubara came close to receiving a second yellow for a similar offense.

The Lady Flames will host Davidson College Thursday, Sept. 11 at 4 p.m.

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