Nov. 7, 2001

Box Score

MILWAUKEE, Wis. - On a cold, foggy evening at the Conference USA Women's Soccer Tournament, the Charlotte 49ers battled the East Carolina Pirates for the second straight match and were victorious for the second straight time, winning 9-8 on Penalty Kicks, after the game ended in a 0-0 double-overtime tie.

In a game where both teams had several chances to score, the defenses held up, as both keepers played all 120 minutes in goal, without allowing one to find the back of the net. The 49ers had a total of 17 shots against the Pirate defense, including nine in the first half. Charlotte goalkeeper Jenn Howell (Marietta, Ga./McEachern) registered four saves for her sixth shutout of the season. Perhaps the biggest save of the evening for Charlotte was by forward Jennie Leeder (Spring, Texas/Klein), who came back to play defense and found herself in the right place at the right time. Leeder saved a ball off the endline during the 109th minute to keep the game scoreless.

Both teams sent their best shooters to the line as the best-of-five Penalty Kick round began. Each player was able to knock home their shots, forcing a sudden-victory shootout. After each team made their first three attempts, Howell saved a low shot by ECU defender Unicity Dittmer to set up an attempt by Mikel Casey (Greensboro, N.C./Grimsley). Casey fired a shot to the left side of the goal past a diving Leigh Steigerwald to give the 49ers the victory.

Although each team is credited with a tie in the record books, the victory belongs to Charlotte. The 49ers (9-6-4) advance to play the winner of the Houston-Marquette matchup in the semifinal round tomorrow evening.