LAKELAND, Fla.- The No. 4 Southeastern University women's soccer team made a powerful statement in The Sun Conference Tournament Semifinals. The second-seeded Fire surged past the third-seeded Johnson & Wales University Wildcats 8-2 to advance to the TSC Final for a fourth-straight season.
SEU put seven of its eight tallies past JWU in the first half, four of which occurred during the first 10 minutes of action.
Senior forward
Uchenna Kanu wasted little time putting the Fire ahead, netting her first of three goals 42 seconds into the match. Kanu finished a deflected shot by
Melanie Peyton to put the Fire ahead 1-0.
Senior midfielder
Bania Duran put the Fire ahead 2-0 in the 3
rd minute, as she drilled a ball from freshman outside back
Chloe Martin past the Wildcats' keeper.
Kanu notched her second goal in the 9
th minute, finishing par post after excellent build-up play by sisters Bania and
Isamar Duran.
Just 1:11 later, Kanu recorded the 26
th hat trick of her collegiate career on a fantastic solo effort. The Abia, Nigeria native pushed her season goal total to 37 and career goal total to 152.
Bania Duran netted her 17
th goal of the season in the 16
th minute after a dazzling cross from Kanu delivered dead center in the box to put SEU ahead 5-0.
The Fire bench continued the offensive onslaught against the Wildcats. First, senior forward
Rachel Wallace rocketed a ball in off the pass from
Siobhan Longmore in the 26
th minute. Redshirt-Sophomore
Summer Rusher capped off the first-half scoring for SEU with her first goal of the season, finishing a nice chip from Wallace far post.
SEU out-shot JWU 18-3 in the first half.
Wallace netted her fifth goal of the season and second of the contest in the 51
st minute to put the Fire ahead 8-0.
The reigning Sun Conference Player of the Year Savannah Jackson netted two goals for the Wildcats to keep Johnson & Wales from being shutout.
First, Jackson successfully converted a penalty kick goal in the 52
nd minute and then finished a solo effort in the 72
nd minute to push her season goal total to 46.
Southeastern had an advantage in corner kicks over Johnson & Wales 8-0.
The Fire advance to The Sun Conference Tournament Final, where they will face top-seeded Keiser University for the fourth-straight season. Match time is set for 1:30 p.m.
