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PENSACOLA, Fla. – [Championship Bracket | Final Site Schedule | Watch Live | Live Stats] The 2024 NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship Match had a team whose cinderella run was highlighted by tough defense and strong offense with SCAD Savannah (Ga.) and a team who has been in this position before with Keiser (Fla.). This year’s championship match had a total of 26 shots and five goals all in favor of the SCAD Savannah (Ga.). Allowing the Bees to head home with the program’s first-ever Red Banner.
SCAD started the game pursuing Sun Conference foe Keiser (Fla.) getting a goal in the fourth minute when Sydney Chura found Abigail Siddall on the back post for the header and a 1-0 lead. The Bees opened this year’s national championship making the final site for the first time ever in program history, and have continued to be dominant not allowing one goal all week.
The first ten minutes of play were all SCAD. The Bees netted their first goal four minutes after the opening kickoff from Chura, the Bees had another great look but pushed it just wide of the far post shortly after. In the 16th minute, Siddall put the Bees ahead 2-0 cleaning up the rebound off the Seahawks goalkeeper. Through the first 30 minutes of the opening half, the match was nearly even in every stat besides the one that mattered with the score. Both the Bees and Seahawks had three shots, SCAD led with a pair of shots on goal, and one corner.
Keiser began to settle in late in the first half, finding a few threatening chances, but SCAD was just as threatening on the counter-attacks out of the defense causing some issues for Keiser’s back line. Chura was having herself a first half in the Bee’s first-ever Women’s Soccer National Championship Match when she assisted on her third goal in the 36th minute as Lois Beer headed it in to lead The Sun Conference foe, Keiser 3-0. After the first half, SCAD led 7-4 in shots, 4-0 in shots on goal, and 2-0 on corner kicks against Keiser (Fla.). The Bees were dominant across the board on offense and defense.
The Bees continued to dominate throughout the match, but for the first time in the tournament, SCAD conceded a goal in the 78th minute, which cut their lead to 3-1 after Delfina Lombardi was able to flick it into the top back corner. The Bees responded just ten minutes later to push their lead back to three goals and secure the program’s first-ever Red Banner
2024 NAIA National Championship All-Tournament Team
Outstanding Defensive Player Award: Lois Beer, SCAD Savannah (Ga.)
Outstanding Offensive Player Award: Sydney Chura, SCAD Savannah (Ga.)
Most Valuable Player: Sydney Chura, SCAD Savannah (Ga.)
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