Birmingham, Ala. – Junior Norah Roller scored in the 86^th minute to help Furman force overtime and netted the match-winning goal just 51 seconds into extra time to lift the fifth-seeded Paladins to a 2-1 victory over No. 4 seed Chattanooga in the quarterfinal round of the Southern Conference Women's Soccer Championship Friday night at Shauna Yelton Field.
 
With the victory, Furman advances to face regular season champion and top-seed Samford in Sunday's semifinal round in Birmingham. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. EST at Shauna Yelton Field and the match will be streamed live on ESPN+. Sunday's winner will advance to next weekend's SoCon championship match against either Western Carolina or Mercer.
 
After 83 minutes of scoreless soccer, Chattanooga broke the deadlock at the 83:01 mark when Paige Thomas dribbled across the top of the box to create space before ripping a left-footed strike from almost 20 yards out that glanced off the outstretched hand of Furman goalkeeper Reese DeJong and settled in the right-hand corner. 
 
With its season hanging in the balance, Furman earned a free kick in its own half with under five minutes remaining. Ava King lofted the set piece to the top of the box, and it caromed off several players before settling at the feet of senior Katie Bengough. The centerback punched a pass to Roller who lined a shot to the left corner from the right side of the box at the 85:38 mark to even the match at 1-1 and force overtime.
 
Bengough collected the ball in her own half less than a minute into the first 10-minute overtime period, eluded a defender, and played the ball to Massie who was sprinting down the center of the field. The junior dribbled more than 20 yards before sliding a pass into the right side of the box that Roller lashed across the face of goal and into the left-hand corner at 90:51 to send the Paladins to the semifinals.
 
"Our team constantly talks about our character being defined by grit and being a blue-collar group that never quits and that was exactly what we were tonight," said Paladin head coach Andrew Burr. "There was no quit or heads hanging when Chattanooga took the lead. We knew that, with one of the most gifted attacking players in the league in Norah Roller, we always had a chance."
 
The match-winning score marked Roller's team-leading eighth goal of the season and third assist of 2025 for Massie, her fellow Birmingham native.
 
The dramatics in the final minutes came after Chattanooga dominated the scoring opportunities in the first 85 minutes of action. The Mocs finished the match with an 18-6 advantage in total shot attempts and 7-4 edge in shots on goal. DeJong recorded six stops, including three in each half, to pick up the victory in goal while Caroline Ekern notched two saves for Chattanooga.
 
Furman improved to 30-1-3 all-time against the Mocs, including 3-0-0 in postseason play. The victory upped the Paladins season record 10-3-5 overall. Chattanooga concluded the year at 10-5-4.
 
2025 Women's Soccer Championship
Tuesday, Oct. 28
First Round (at higher seeds)
Match 1: No. 8 Wofford 2, No. 9 The Citadel 1
Match 2: No. 7 UNCG 2, No 10 VMI 0

Friday, Oct. 31
Quarterfinals (at No. 1 & No. 2 seeds)
Match 3: No. 1 Samford 2, No. 8 Wofford 0
Match 4: No. 5 Furman 2, No. 4 Chattanooga 1 (OT)
Match 5: No. 2 Western Carolina 4, No. 7 UNCG 3 (OT)
Match 6: No. 6 Mercer 2, No. 3 ETSU 1

Sunday, Nov. 2
Semifinals (at No. 1 & No. 2 seeds)
Match 7: No. 6 Mercer at No. 2 Western Carolina, 2 p.m. (Cullowhee, North Carolina)
Match 8: No. 5 Furman at No. 1 Samford, 2 p.m. (Birmingham, Alabama)

Saturday, Nov. 8, or Sunday, Nov. 9
Final (Highest remaining seed, location TBD)
Match 9: Winner Match 7 vs. Winner Match 8, TBD

*all times Eastern unless otherwise noted
 
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