BREVARD, N.C. - The Brevard College men's and women's soccer teams have both advanced to the Semifinals of the 2023 USA South Conference Soccer Tournaments, and both sides are set to square off against Methodist University.
 
The matches are slated for 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. and can be followed along via live stream and statistics, courtesy of Methodist University.
   
The women's soccer team, who advances to the semifinals of a conference tournament for the first time in the program's NCAA-era history, played Meredith College to a draw through 90 minutes of regulation and a pair of overtime periods on Tuesday evening at Ives-Lemel Family Field.
 
A shootout ensued after a full 90 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods. Kiara Porcelli put in her first PK attempt, but was answered by Meredith's Haley Vasquez. Meredith took a 2-1 edge after a miss just high from Grace Black and a PK make from Kendall Carroll, but the Tornados stormed back with makes from Hayley Kenney and Abby Nunez, and a stellar save from Nunez, who checked in at the onset of the shootout for Nicole Arroyo. The shootout was clinched when Trifoli lined up from the spot and drilled her attempt into the right corner as celebration ensued for the Tornados.
 
Brevard College women's soccer received four honorees on the USA South Conference Postseason awards list announced on Tuesday.
 
Senior forward Grace Black led the way with an All-Conference Second Team selection, while freshman duo of midfielder Austin Huffman and defender MK Smoak received All-Conference Honorable Mention honors. Junior midfielder Hayley Kenney represented Brevard on the All-Sportsmanship Team.
 
Black, a fourth-year Tornado from Charleston, South Carolina, led the Tornado offense in 2023 with a team-high 10 goals to go along with four assists for a team-best 24 points scored. Black recorded two goals in three separate contests this season, scored in seven matches total, and recorded points in 10 of BC's 19 matches so far this season. Over the course of her four-season career at Brevard, Black has logged 19 goals, seven assists, and 45 career points, with her goal total tied for fourth all-time in the BC NCAA-era with teammate Taylor Richardson and her career point total sitting fourth in BC's NCAA-era.
 
Huffman, a freshman from Kernersville, North Carolina, currently ranks tied-for-second on the team in goals scored (five) and tied-for-second in assists (three). She has seen action in all 19 contests this year, making 17 total starts in those matches, and scored a season-high two goals vs. Toccoa Falls (Sept. 9).
 
 Smoak, a freshman from Charleston, South Carolina, played center-back for the Tornados in 17 total contests with 11 starts, and defensively was involved in 10 total shutouts through the 2023 campaign.
 
Kenney, a third-year Tornado from Webster, New Hampshire, played in the midfield for the Tornados in 18 different contests this year while making nine starts. Overall through her three seasons with the Tornados, Kenney has appeared in 40 total contests with 19 starts, and in BC's penalty shootout win over Meredith College in the first round of the USA South Tournament, Kenney hit a crucial PK to help the Tornados advance on.
 
With a win Thursday the Tornados, who are the three-seed in the tournament, will search to reach the program's first NCAA era conference championship, where it would face either four-seeded Greensboro College at home or top-seeded Southern Virginia in Buena Vista, Virginia.
 
Brevard's women's soccer squad set a new NCAA-era record for single-season wins with 12, and went unbeaten at home for the entirety of the 2023 campaign with an 8-0-2 record to-date at Ives-Lemel Family Field.
   
Brevard's USA South Conference title defense began the same way it did in 2022, when the Tornados advanced in a PK shootout vs. Greensboro College. On Tuesday evening at Ives-Lemel Family Field, the Tornados and visiting Pfeiffer Falcons tied in regulation 2-2 before a pair of scoreless overtime stanzas brought the contest to a draw, with the team advancing to be determined by a penalty kick shootout.
 
Brevard went a perfect 5-for-5 on its penalty kick efforts and recorded a save on one of Pfeiffer's attempts to clinch the shootout and the four-seeded Tornados will now advance to take on top-seed Methodist.
 
BC's NCAA-era program leader in goals scored Ryan Lynch took and made the first penalty kick of the shootout before Matheus Rossi saved a crucial attempt from Pfeiffer's Mateo Lata. Rodrigo Garcia, Daniel Morgan, and Marcos Silva all followed suit for the Tornados, who held a 4-3 edge with one more penalty taker left. Sophomore midfielder Caue dos Santos stepped up to take the attempt, and he drilled it to send the Tornados to the semifinals, where pandemonium set in at Ives-Lemel Family Field as BC's title defense rolled on.
 
The two sides competed for 110 minutes before the fateful penalty kick shootout, playing to a 2-2 draw. Lynch found the back of the net once while also assisting on a corner kick, while Adan Miller finished off Lynch's corner for the Peterborough, New Hampshire junior defender's first collegiate goal. Graduate defender Sam O'Callaghan distributed an assist out on Lynch's score.
 
With a win on Thursday, the Tornados will advance to the USA South Conference Men's Soccer Championship for the second-consecutive season - and have the chance to play for their third trophy in the last four seasons - to face the winner of the #2 North Carolina Wesleyan vs. #3 William Peace match.
 
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