Video: Simon Duffy & Jackie Burns Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Top-seeded and second-ranked Carson-Newman moved to 6-0 at McCown Field in NCAA Championship games after a 2-0 win in the Southeast Regional Semifinal over fifth-seeded Queens on Sunday afternoon.
The Eagles (18-0-1) are now 7-3 all-time in region semifinal matches.
"Thought we controlled the game for the large majority of it, not good football at times but delighted with the end result," Coach Simon Duffy noted.
Magda Mosengo got things started in a hurry for the Eagles who came into the day 4-2 against South Atlantic Conference opponents in the NCAA tournament.
A left-footed boot from Lauren Wade deflected off a Royals' defender and landed at the foot of a streaking Mosengo.
The junior out of London, England finessed the ball off the side of her right foot and sent it past a charging Rachel Quest for her 10th tally of the year.
With the Royals scurrying for a goal of their own, Jackie Burns stepped up to the call in the 36th minute when a foul called on Lulu Phan in the 18-yard box gave Queens the opportunity for the equalizer.
First-team All-SAC selection Alana Jefferson stepped up to take the penalty kick, aiming for the right side of the net. Burns, the sophomore out of Cookstown, Northern Ireland, dove to her left and punched the ball away keeping the advantage in favor of C-N.
It was the second time this season Burns has come up big in a penalty kick situation, when she collected a stop against Anderson on Sept. 30.
"It's nothing new for her. She's calm, cool and collected and understands the game. She understands the good moments and has great game management," Duffy added.
"The main thing was to keep calm and don't get involved with the situation," Burns mentioned. "It was important for me to stay relaxed and being confident knowing I was going to make the save."
Wade used her speed up the left side of the field in the 60th minute to create havoc once again. After running with the ball from midfield, the senior forward reach the edge of the 18-yard box before a centering pass found the foot of Mosengo once again.
Mosengo corralled the bouncing ball and flipped it on net with Quest making the initial save, but the ball spun towards the net as a Royals' defender got in the way of a retreating Quest, and failed to reach the ball before it crossed the goal line for Mosengo's second of the afternoon.
Burns once again had her named called late in the match when Thea Mallet stepped up to take a free kick opportunity. The ball was place in the same spot where she drilled her game-winner on Friday vs. UNC-P.
The sophomore net minder shut down the honorable mention All-SAC member, en route to her 23rd shutout of her career.
Burns pulls into a first-place tie with Christine Furman in program history for most shutouts in a career. Furman recorded 23.6 from 1996-99 with the Eagles.
The seven saves for Burns tied a season-high when she was forced to make the same on Sept. 20 vs. Lenoir-Rhyne in a 2-2 tie.
"I trust my back four 100 percent," Burns said. "I know they'll be there to make a challenge and make the right decision."
Queens (12-3-3) season comes to a close after an impressive performance from Quest in goal, who tallied eight saves on the afternoon. It was the second-most saves in a game for the junior this season.
The Eagles will turn to two-seeded Columbus State (16-3-0) who defeated Flagler this afternoon by a final of 3-0. C-N faced off against Cougars just two years ago in the Southeast Region final when they fell 4-1.
"We'll enjoy today, and then we'll recover this week and get our minds right going forward," Duffy added. "It helps massively playing at home and not having to travel, and we'll regroup tomorrow and put a plan in place."
The matchup between the Cougars and Eagles is slated for Friday, Sept. 17 at 7:00 p.m. from McCown Field.
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