The University of Portland earned a second consecutive NCAA National
Semi Final berth and remained unbeaten in the process with a 1-0 victory
over the University of Maryland Saturday at Merlo Field in Portland, OR.
The 2nd-ranked Pilots (19-0-2) broke the scoreless tie on senior
All-American Shannon MacMillan's goal at 37:39. Jody Dutra provided the
setup with a pass to the box. MacMillan ran onto the ball and her
13-yard shot angled past Terrapin goalkeeper Kassie Knecht to the far
post.
The teams played through a steady rain for most of the game. Each fired
10 shots on goal. Knecht made seven saves for the Terps. Portland
keeper Erin Fahey recorded five and earned her 16th shoutout of the
season.
"It was a tough game, especially the first thirty minutes," Pilot coach
Clive Charles said. "I was relieved to see Shannon score and as the game
went on, we felt more confortable."
Portland, which set a school record with its 19th win, will meet SMU in
a NCAA SemiFinal game at 7:30 p.m. EST, Friday, Dec. 1 in Chapel Hill on
the campus of the Univesity of North Carolina. The other SemiFinal
pairs top-ranked UNC, a 2-0 winner over Santa Clara, against Notre Dame
-- 2-0 winners over Connecticut.
Maryland, ranked No. 8 in the country and making its first postseason
appearance, ended the season at 18-6-0.
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"The disappointment is settling in," Terps' Head Coach April Heinrichs
said. "We can look back and see what this season has done for our
program and its future, but that won't happen for another week. Right
now, we're disappointed about not going to the final four and not
playing out best soccer today."
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