North Carolina State University Athletics
Soccer Duo Leads Triangle FC To Super-20 Title
8/5/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Courtesy of USLsoccer.com
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. Nadia Aboulhosn (Raleigh, N.C.) and Alex Berger (Cary, N.C.), sophomores-to-be on the NC State women’s soccer team this fall, each played a large role in leading Triangle FC to the United Soccer League’s Super-20 North American title this past weekend over Parsippany (N.J.).
On the first corner of the game, taken by Dani Stolt five minutes into play, Kate Ryan popped open and one-timed a spinning ball that nicked the left post and trickled by Triangle FC goalkeeper Kelsey Kearney for an early 1-0 lead. This being the third consecutive season that Parsippany was part of the women’s final, few expected Triangle to rebound from the early deficit.
However, the second half began with a hard shot that took a sharp bounce on Parsippany’s second half goalkeeper, Mandy Schwartz. The ball was deflected and careened down the end line towards the corner flag. Mollie Pathman was all over the loose ball for Triangle and she switched the point of attack to teammate Taylor Ray, who set up her right foot and put a line drive into the far corner for a 1-1 draw, five minutes into the second half.
Seconds later Triangle took complete control of the match when Ray dumped a ball back to Berger. Joining the attack late, Berger decided to rip a shot on goal.
“We had momentum at that point in the match so I just thought why not have a shot,’” said Berger of the goal, which carried at least 30 yards, over the head of Schwartz, and fit just below the crossbar, into the far upper-90 for the 2-1 lead.
The only thing wrong with Berger’s goal was that it came too quick. It left the majority of the half for Parsippany to come from a goal down in a very familiar match. And it was a familiar attacking duo that combined to even the score when Ryan looped a pass over the head of the Triangle defense, into the path of Stolt, who beat Kearney to the ball and chipped it over the charging keeper to even the score and send the match into extra time.
Neither team could earn a decent look on net in either of the two, ten minute overtime sessions.
The surefooted Ryan stepped to the mark for Parsippany, but it was Kearney who set the tone for the remainder of the match as she blocked her first of two saves.
Kelly Dodd, Aboulhosn, Pathman and Berger all successfully converted their penalty attempts to secure the win for Triangle and Pathman.
“The fact that we won a [North American] title hasn’t even sunk in for any of us yet,” added Berger. “We worked so hard to get to this point and the thing that makes it even more incredible is that we beat some real class teams to do it.”
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. Nadia Aboulhosn (Raleigh, N.C.) and Alex Berger (Cary, N.C.), sophomores-to-be on the NC State women’s soccer team this fall, each played a large role in leading Triangle FC to the United Soccer League’s Super-20 North American title this past weekend over Parsippany (N.J.).
On the first corner of the game, taken by Dani Stolt five minutes into play, Kate Ryan popped open and one-timed a spinning ball that nicked the left post and trickled by Triangle FC goalkeeper Kelsey Kearney for an early 1-0 lead. This being the third consecutive season that Parsippany was part of the women’s final, few expected Triangle to rebound from the early deficit.
However, the second half began with a hard shot that took a sharp bounce on Parsippany’s second half goalkeeper, Mandy Schwartz. The ball was deflected and careened down the end line towards the corner flag. Mollie Pathman was all over the loose ball for Triangle and she switched the point of attack to teammate Taylor Ray, who set up her right foot and put a line drive into the far corner for a 1-1 draw, five minutes into the second half.
Seconds later Triangle took complete control of the match when Ray dumped a ball back to Berger. Joining the attack late, Berger decided to rip a shot on goal.
“We had momentum at that point in the match so I just thought why not have a shot,’” said Berger of the goal, which carried at least 30 yards, over the head of Schwartz, and fit just below the crossbar, into the far upper-90 for the 2-1 lead.
The only thing wrong with Berger’s goal was that it came too quick. It left the majority of the half for Parsippany to come from a goal down in a very familiar match. And it was a familiar attacking duo that combined to even the score when Ryan looped a pass over the head of the Triangle defense, into the path of Stolt, who beat Kearney to the ball and chipped it over the charging keeper to even the score and send the match into extra time.
Neither team could earn a decent look on net in either of the two, ten minute overtime sessions.
The surefooted Ryan stepped to the mark for Parsippany, but it was Kearney who set the tone for the remainder of the match as she blocked her first of two saves.
Kelly Dodd, Aboulhosn, Pathman and Berger all successfully converted their penalty attempts to secure the win for Triangle and Pathman.
“The fact that we won a [North American] title hasn’t even sunk in for any of us yet,” added Berger. “We worked so hard to get to this point and the thing that makes it even more incredible is that we beat some real class teams to do it.”
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