Box Score KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The second time in as many years a first-year team in the NCCAA Women's Soccer National Tournament will be playing in the national title game. Southern Nazarene, in its first year in the NCCAA National Tournament, reached the championship game with a 2-0 win over Trevecca Nazarene and will play last year's national champion in California Baptist.
 
CBU also was in its first year in the NCCAA last year and swept the its way to the title. California Baptist is in its provisional year of the NCAA Division II Membership Process, just one year ahead of SNU.
 
The Crimson Storm secured its spot with two goals in the second half and knocked off the Trojans for the second time this season and scored all five of its goals across two games in the second half. SNU downed TNU 3-1 in Nashville in the second game of the season and got two goals from Mallary Schaub to seal the deal and a spot in the title game.
 
SNU had just two shots in the first half, but held Trevecca to just a pair of shots in the first half and just three total. The Crimson Storm picked up the pace at the end of the first and came out firing in the second. Schaub scored the first goal in the 55^th minute when she took a ball across the top of the box to her right, turned and fired a shot to the top left corner and that broke the scoreless tie. She then found herself along the baseline in the 89^th minute when she was fouled inside the left box and then converted on the following penalty kick to notch her eighth goal of the season.
 
“We weren't as nervous as we were yesterday, but it was taking us a while to get going,” said SNU Head Coach Julie Duncan. “We got things going a little bit better late, but we weren't making good decisions to finish.”
The Crimson Storm put four of its 11 shots on goal and gave up just one shot on goal as Yoli Zamarripa needed to make just one save.
“We picked each other up tonight,” said Duncan. “Some of our go-to players were struggling tonight and we had some girls stepped up and played well. Our defense played so well and they were the determining factor for us.”
Southern Nazarene will now play California Baptist at 3 p.m., Saturday, in the title game.
“This day of rest will be great after playing two tough games in less than 24 hours,” said Duncan. “This will be one of the toughest games if not the toughest game of the year.”