Tech Poised to Face Grand Valley State in NCAA Semifinals

Match can be seen and heard live Thursday at 11 a.m. EST

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Women’s Soccer) – Florida Tech will take on fifth-ranked Grand Valley State in the NCAA Division II semifinals on Thursday at 11 a.m. EST at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium on the campus of Bellarmine University. The Panthers march into their first Final Four match with a 10-6-5 record on the season, while the Lakers stand at 20-1-2.

Both teams have not played since they won their respective quarterfinals match on Sunday, Nov. 21. To advance to Louisville, Grand Valley State downed No. 3 Fort Lewis, 5-0, on the Lakers’ home pitch in Allendale, Mich. The Panthers are coming off a suspenseful 5-4 shootout victory over the Southeast Region Champion, Lenoir-Rhyne, in Tampa.

Since Tech dropped a pair of games during a road trip to Georgia on Oct. 1-3, the Crimson and Gray have strung together an impressive stretch that has included just two losses. In fact, in the Panthers’ last 10 games, they are 4-1-5 with the lone defeat coming to Tampa in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament Championship.

Although it has not been easy, they have shown that when pressure is at a peak, they can remain calm and focused on the task ahead. In four of its six postseason matches, they have advanced by winning penalty kicks courtesy of a confident group of kickers and goalkeeper Mist Eliasdottir.

Upon arrival, junior transfer Casey Lademann has made her mark on the team. Heading into the match, she leads the squad with 16 goals and is tied for the lead with Chelsea Belfer and Paula Lillsjo in assists with four. Eliasdottir has been solid in goal as she currently boasts a 0.70 goals against average and a .845 save percentage to go with eight shutouts. In the last 10 matches, only seven balls have snuck by the junior from Iceland.

Wednesday morning, head coach Fidgi Haig and Co. practiced for the first time on the artificial pitch at Bellarmine. The Panthers expected to train in cold temperatures, but they were pleasantly surprised to see a light snowfall, which had never been witnessed by numerous players.

Fans can view Thursday’s semifinals match online for free, courtesy of the NCAA. In addition to the video stream, J.C. Meyerholz will call all of the play-by-play action and as usual, live stats will be provided. To top it off, fans will have an opportunity to chat throughout the game.

A link to the video broadcast can be found at FloridaTechSports.com. The audio broadcast, live stats and live chat can be accessed by clicking on the GameCentral button, also at the Panthers’ online home.

The winner of Thursday’s semifinal will oppose the victor of the semifinal between UC San Diego and St. Rose in the National Championship on Saturday at 12 p.m. EST.