FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Florida Gulf Coast University women's soccer team scored a pair of second-half goal to secure a 3-1 victory over Northern Kentucky University in the semifinals of the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship at the FGCU Soccer Complex on Friday evening.
 
FGCU, which improved to 16-3 overall and advanced to Sunday's championship game against No. 6 Kennesaw State, controlled possession through most of the first half with Paulina Speckmaier putting the Eagles on top in the 12th minute.  FGCU quickly moved the ball around the Norse end of the field, and Ali Rogers served the ball into Shea Rhoney, who got the ball to Speckmaier inside the box.  Speckmaier then sent a shot into the lower left corner of the net past NKU goalkeeper Brook Schocker for the 1-0 Eagles lead.
 
FGCU looked to stretch its lead right before the end of the half.  Ally Kasun powered an attempt towards the goal in the 42nd, but Schocker came up big with the save, knocking the ball over the goal and out of bounds to keep the one-goal advantage for the Eagles, which stood through the halftime break.
 
NKU, which finished the season 9-8-3, was able to get two shots in the opening 45 minutes but could not place an attempt on goal.  In the 16th minute, Kelsey Laumann took a corner kick for the Norse, and Katelyn Newton gained control of the ball.  She sent a shot towards the FGCU goal, but it hit off the crossbar and out of bounds.  Macy Hamblin's attempt at the 28:32 mark went just right of the target.
 
The Eagles added the insurance goal to extend their lead in the 55th minute.  Shannen Whacker got the ball to Tabby Tindell, the Atlantic Sun Player of the Year, inside the box.  Tindell turned and fired a low shot into the back of the net for her 18th goal of the season.  It marked the 14th assist of the season for Whacker.
 
Kasun stretched the FGCU lead to 3-0 in the 81st minute before Hamblin put the Norse on the scoreboard one minute later.  The Eagles were whistled for a foul inside the box, and Hamblin took the penalty kick for the Norse.  Hamblin sent a low shot into the lower left corner of the net as FGCU goalkeeper Brittany Brown went to her right for the final margin of the game.
 
"Florida Gulf Coast has an excellent program, and they have had some success that speaks for itself," NKU head coach Bob Sheehan said.  "If they are not already in the top 25, they will be here shortly because they are very, very good."
 
Speckmaier and Kasun led the FGCU offense, which finished with a 16-5 advantage in shots, with four attempts apiece.  Tindell and Whacker each took two shots, while Brown recorded one save for the Eagles.
 
Hamblin's three shot attempts led NKU, while Newton and Muench collected the other two shots for the Norse.  Schocker allowed the three Eagle goals but made four saves to finish the season with 67.
 
With the win, FGCU improved its lead in the all-time series against NKU to 4-0.  The semifinal win also gave Eagles head coach Jim Blankenship his 100th career victory.
 
The 2014 season marked a season of firsts for NKU.  In addition to earning their first berth to the Atlantic Sun Championship in their first season eligible, the Norse posted their first winning record as an NCAA Division I program and set a new D-1 benchmark with nine wins.
 
"We were picked to finish seventh in the Atlantic Sun, but we earned a spot in the semifinals of the championship," Sheehan said.  "We are very proud of that.  I feel like the team has come a long, long way this year, both as individuals and as a unit.  We are really proud of our team, and I think our players feel like they have represented themselves, our program and our university well this season.  We congratulate our players on an outstanding season."