MATTHEWS, N.C. – Five days removed from perhaps the most euphoric win in the program's 17-year Division I era, the Presbyterian College women's soccer team will make their first-ever appearance in the Big South Tournament Semifinals on Thursday afternoon. They'll go head-to-head with top seed USC Upstate from a neutral venue just outside Charlotte.
The Matthews SportsPlex will be the site of tomorrow's conference semi's matchup, the redo between the Blue Hose and Spartans after an exciting 2-2 tie back in September.
First touch will take place at 4:00 PM on ESPN+, with the winner advancing to the Big South Conference Championship round.
Presbyterian finds themselves in uncharted territory under the watchful eye of first-year head coach
Matt Smith, who has catapulted the Blue Hose well beyond their seventh-place preseason projection. They are now 90 minutes away from toppling the #1 seed and reaching the league title match for the first time in school history.
GAMEDAY INFO – THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7
BIG SOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP – SEMIFINALS
No. 5 Presbyterian (7-5-5, 2-2-3) vs. No. 1 USC Upstate (8-4-4, 5-1-2)
WHERE / WHEN: SportsPlex (Matthews, N.C.) | 4:00 PM
WATCH: ESPN+
LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast
A LOT CAN HAPPEN IN 43 DAYS
- When the Blue Hose went up against USC Upstate all the way back on September 25, that was the first of seven conference meetings and the league opener for both teams.
- On that night in Martin Stadium, the two rivals saw an inconclusive ending with a 2-2 draw. After that seesaw contest, the Spartans went on to capture the Big South regular season championship for the first time ever.
- Upstate rides into the postseason with a five-match streak of either wins or ties, led by the league's Offensive Player of the Year Dara Russo and a total of seven all-conference players.
- Both teams traded blows in their first encounter, with Upstate taking a 2-1 edge into the halftime break. Presbyterian evened up the odds just three minutes and 44 seconds into the next half, planting the seeds for the eventual tie.
- PC's two goals were submitted by
Sydney Lassiter (32:51) and
Allie Williams (48:44). They became the first pair of Blue Hose freshmen since 2018 to both score their first collegiate goals on the same night.
PRESBY FINDS PK MAGIC
- Coach Smith's gang went up against another school whom they tied with earlier in the year for their Quarterfinal clash, edging out Longwood last weekend after 110 minutes of scoreless play to win a penalty kick shootout 4-2.
- In only their third-ever Big South Tournament appearance, PC's defense stayed sharp throughout and dodged a handful of Lancer bullets down the stretch to keep things deadlocked at nil-nil.
- The anchor of the squad as a senior goalie who has never been subbed out from the moment the season started in mid-August,
Kelly Hall was the one to thrust in the game-winner as she was able to get past Big South Keeper of the Year Sara Curtis.
-
Sarah Dieffenderfer,
Harlan Lyons, and
Lyla Chadd all turned in successful PK's before Hall stepped up to deliver the dagger, finishing a night where she had 10 saves as well.
- Presbyterian picked a perfect night to make history, winning their first-ever match against Longwood on the road after numerous draws and publishing their inaugural postseason victory since turning D-I in 2007.
BRACKET UPDATE
- Four teams are left vying for the Big South crown, as Upstate and High Point join the party after earning a BYE that enabled them to skip the Quarterfinals.
- Second-seed HPU will meet third-seed Radford once Presby's match with Upstate is in the bin, signifying the other half of Thursday's Semi's.
- The Highlanders torched sixth-seed UNC Asheville in Virginia over the weekend for a 3-0 shutout, in pursuit of a third straight conference tournament title.
- The winners of PC/Upstate and High Point/Radford will collide for the Big South Championship on Sunday, November 10 (also at the same venue in Matthews). Whoever emerges with the trophy will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, beginning on November 15.
