FROSTBURG, Md. – The Frostburg State Women's Soccer team narrowly defeated Charleston (WV) 1-0 in the MEC Tournament Semifinals for the second straight season, advancing to the Championship Game thanks to a late double overtime goal from junior forward Toni Fiocco-Mizer.
 
The Golden Eagles started out the better of the two sides, maintaining possession within FSU's defensive third for the first five minutes, but were held at bay by the Bobcat defense. Frostburg worked back into the game and controlled the tempo for the next 15 minutes, with Fiocco-Mizer generating the first chance of the game on a cross-turned-shot that just hit the wrong side of the left post and bounced back into the 18 to be cleared away.
 
UC re-took the momentum with back-to-back shots, the first of which was blocked by graduate Abbey Dennis and the second that was fired just high of junior Ashley Bilger's goal. The Golden Eagles had another pair of efforts in the next few minutes, continuing to play on the counterattack and compressing the midfield to win the ball back frequently.
 
FSU thought they had the lead with five minutes left in the half, as sophomore Keely Knotts stung the palms of Golden Eagle goalkeeper Helen Alfes and bounced down off the crossbar, with Fiocco-Mizer firing into an empty net, but was adjudged to have been offside to cancel out the would-be opener. With 30 seconds remaining, Fiocco-Mizer had another great chance to take the lead after being played behind the Charleston defense, but Alfes made a great save to take the game into halftime scoreless.
 
The second half opened with junior Caroline Burton and sophomore Carolyn DeSena both getting shots off, but the bounce of the ball didn't fall kindly to either as their efforts went wide and high. UC had the same fate on their pair of shots five minutes later as the game became a defensive battle. Sophomore Mei Homman had the last chance in regulation to win the match for Frostburg, but her free kick from distance went just wide of Alfes' goal to take the game into overtime.
 
With the new overtime rules in place, a full 20 minutes would be played with no golden goal to try and determine a winner for Sunday's Championship. The Golden Eagles began the first overtime period with a tame effort that was easily collected by Bilger for her first save and the first shot on target for UC. Burton and junior Lela Clark both had audacious attempts to score, but neither troubled Alfes at the end of the first 10 minutes.
 
FSU dominated the early portion of the second OT, with Fiocco-Mizer and Homman both coming close and pressuring Charleston's goal. The Bobcats finally found the answer they needed, as sophomore Cat Smith played a Crossfield ball that no one seemed willing to run to, except for Clark, who picked a perfect pass to the awaiting Fiocco-Mizer, as she buried the chance to get the first goal of the game 103 minutes into the contest.
 
Frostburg's defense of Smith, Dennis, and Homman combined to thwart anything that UC threw forward, as each player stuck to their task and limited the Golden Eagles to one late effort that was easily claimed by Bilger. As the seconds ticked down, Charleston launched one last ball into the box on a free kick that was headed away, giving FSU the dramatic win.
 
The Bobcats outshot UC 19-10, with four shots on goal to the Golden Eagles' two. Bilger and Frostburg's defense have now gone 470 minutes since conceding a goal on October 19 against Alderson Broaddus.
 
With the victory, FSU improves to 18-1-1 on the year, while Charleston ends their season at 10-10. The Bobcats now advance to the MEC Championship game for the second straight season, where they will host Fairmont State, who defeated West Virginia State 1-0 in the other semifinal game. The match will kick-off at 1 p.m. from Bobcat Stadium, as information and updates will be posted at frostburgsports.com.