Seniors Lead Eagles to Consolation Title

KISSIMMEE, Florida—A trio of seniors who have helped change the trajectory of the women's soccer program at Faith are going out as winners. For the second time in three seasons, the Faith Eagles are the NCCAA Division II Women's Soccer Consolation Champions. In fitting fashion, Faith's three seniors (Karina Fritz, Lydia Trygstad, and Allison Yuan) scored three of the game's four goals, capping a remarkable run for a core group that led the school to two final four appearances finishing with a record of 2-2 in NCCAA tournament play during their careers. The Eagles took down Trinity Baptist College on Saturday with a 4-0 win on another wet day at Austin-Tindall Sports Complex.

Faith got on the board with just over 15 minutes to play in the first half when Brenna Penrod made a pass to senior forward Lydia Trygstad who scored a wide-open goal to give Faith a 1-0 lead. The Eagles managed 13 shots in the first half, but were only able to connect on one, while the defense held Trinity to just three shots in the first half.

The second half was all Faith as Brenna Penrod put the Eagles on top 2-0 with a goal at the 53:01 mark. Penrod just missed on two additional shots which hit the top crossbar in the ten minutes that followed. With a 2-0 lead, Faith's seniors took the wheel, as All-Americans Allison Yuan and Karina Fritz put the cherry on top of two of the most decorated careers in Faith women's soccer history with goals at the 78:25 mark (Yuan) and the 82:41 mark (Fritz).

"In the second half we were able to settle down, find our spaces, and get our heads up and see things with more clarity," said Coach Barron. "Usually when you score a couple of goals, it does that. It gets your confidence built."

At the conclusion of the game, two Eagles players were rewarded for their terrific tournament play as freshman forward Brenna Penrod and junior defender Kierstan Fritz were both named to the All-Tournament team. While the seniors will be difficult to replace next season, a solid core of Eagles players return and the team's status as a national contender should remain strong.

"It's always nice to end the season on a win," said Barron. "It was nice that the three seniors were able to score a goal in their final game. That was special. It was nice to end on a high note."