RECAP: FC PRIME, CHARLOTTE EAGLES

Written By:  Tyler Trent  |  WPSL Correspondent

Photo By:  Reily Rogers

After South Region favorite Nashville Rhythm F.C. booked its spot to the Regional Final in the first semi final on Saturday, the match between Sunshine Conference Champion FC Prime and Southeast Conference runner-up Charlotte Eagles began with a lot on the line - win and advance or end season here.

The first 45 minutes were a cagey affair but mostly dominated by Charlotte Eagles in possession and chances created. The Eagles were prepared to push high up the field and press a depleted FC Prime team that had only three players available off the bench. Through the first 30 minutes, there weren’t many major chances by either side despite the Eagles’ dominance in possession. FC Prime put most fires out before they got dangerous and stayed steady in defense.

However, in the 29’ minute of play, Charlotte’s Faith Adams (Lipscomb University) hit a nice volley from outside the box that challenged FC Prime goalkeeper Skylah Klein (University of Miami), but she was able to make a nice save to keep the match level at 0-0. Despite the continued pressure from the Eagles, FC Prime tried to stay compact and move the ball into the attacking third, eventually gaining some control of the match as the half headed to a close.

The second half began similarly to the first before Alex Jennings (George Mason grad) scored her seventh goal of the year off a set piece that was played into the box in the 55^th minute of the game. Jennings got a quick shot away in a tight space to make it 1-0 to Charlotte. With Charlotte only allowing five goals on the year and touting one of the best defensive records in the South Region, FC Prime had a mountain to climb to get back into the match.

Morgan Leyble (UNC-Wilmington) connected nicely on a volley in the 75’ minute of play that came close to adding to the lead for the Eagles, but in the end the shot went safely over the goal. The FC Prime defense continued strongly for the remainder of the second half.

While FC Prime continued to push numbers forward looking for the equalizing goal until the end of the match, but ultimately fell short and could not create a goal to extend the game. Charlotte Eagles walked away with a 1-0 victory after 90 minutes played and its fifth clean sheet of the season.

With the 1-0 result, we will see an all-Southeast Conference final today between Charlotte Eagles and Nashville Rhythm F.C. at 1:30 PM CDT.  The South Region Final will determine which team will have the opportunity to represent the South Region in Stillwater, Oklahoma, for the national championship series. The two Southeast Conference teams met once in the regular season that resulted in a tight 1-0 win for the Rhythm.