MELBOURNE, Fla. – Montevallo women's soccer advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and are set to face second-seeded Florida Tech on Sunday afternoon.
 
So Far This Season…
Montevallo enters the NCAA Tournament with a 12-5-3 overall record after starting the season with a 1-1-1 record in non-conference action with a win over Kentucky Wesleyan and a 0-0 draw against No. 9 Catawba. To open GSC play, the Falcons knocked off Auburn Montgomery, 6-2, before taking down Valdosta State, 3-1, on Sept. 21. Montevallo added a pair of wins over in-state rivals West Alabama and Alabama Huntsville before a 5-0 victory over Christian Brothers on Oct. 2. The Falcons suffered the first conference loss of the season at Union on Oct. 5 before rebounding with a 2-0 win over Mississippi College on Oct. 9. The Falcons went on to add a 1-0 win over Delta State before falling to Lee on Oct. 16. To close the GSC schedule, Montevallo topped Trevecca, 3-0, and Spring Hill, 1-0, with a 1-1 tie at No. 8 West Florida sandwiched in between. The Falcons added a 2-2 draw on the road at Clayton State before falling to No. 2 Columbus State in the final regular season contest. The Falcons advanced to the GSC Semifinals with a 4-3 comeback win over Mississippi College on Nov. 10. With a dominant 5-0 win against Union in the semifinals, Montevallo advanced to its second-consecutive conference title game. The Falcons would fall to top-seeded West Florida but would still be selected as an at-large for the NCAA Tournament. In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Montevallo took down six-seed Embry-Riddle, 4-3, for the first tournament win since the 2007 season.
 
In 21 games, Montevallo has tallied 43 goals for an average of 2.05 goals per game on an average of 16.5 shots per game with 7.2 shots on frame per game. The Falcons boast .442 shots on goal mark while dishing out 35 assists on 43 goals. Defensively, Montevallo allows just 1.19 goals per game with nine shutouts on the season. The Falcons' opponents average just 9.9 shots per game with 4.4 shots on goal per contest. The Falcons' keepers have tallied a total of 69 saves on the season, including a trio in the first-round match.
 
Individually, Montevallo is highlighted by Shadia Valenzuela with a total of 11 goals and four assists for a team-high 26 points. Sophomore forward Isabel Dillehay ranks second on the squad with eight goals and three assists for 19 points while Morgan Goehring leads Montevallo with six assists to go along with five goals for a total of 16 points. In the net, graduate goalkeeper Emily Hounsell has played every minute this season for a total of 65 saves while pitching nine shutouts in 21 outings.
 
 
Scouting Florida Tech: WATCH | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
Florida Tech enters Sunday's match with a 13-2-3 overall record with an 8-1-1 mark in Sunshine State Conference action. The Panthers opened the season with a 3-1 record in non-conference action with wins over Tiffin, No. 22 North Georgia, and Nova Southeastern with a loss to No. 3 Lenoir Rhyne. FIT opened conference play with a 2-0 win over Embry-Riddle before added a win over Saint Leo on Oct. 2. The Panthers suffered the lone conference loss of the season at the hands of Rollins on Oct. 5. FIT rebounded with a 4-0 win over Palm Beach Atlantic before drawing with Nova Southeastern, 1-1, on Oct. 16. The Panthers added a 4-1 win against Florida Southern before tying with Flagler, 2-2, on Oct. 24. Florida Tech closed the regular season with four-straight wins over Eckerd, Lynn, Tampa and Barry to earn the top seed in the SSC Tournament. The Panthers advanced with a 2-1 win over Barry in double overtime before taking down Saint Leo, 2-1, on Nov. 14. In the SSC Championship, Nova Southeastern would knock off the Panthers in a 0-0 draw that went the Sharks way, 5-4, in penalty kicks.
 
As a team, FIT was scored 35 goals on the season for an average of 1.94 per game while recording 26 assists for a total of 96 points on the season. The Panthers average 18.6 shots per game with a total of 335 shots and 154 shots on frame. Defensively, FIT has allowed just 13 goals on the season for an average of .72 goals per game with opponents tallying just seven assists on the season.
 
Individually, Llopis Marta leads the squad with 11 goals and five assists for a total of 27 points while Ximena Jaurgui ranks second on the team with six goals and two assists for 14 points. Daniela Tobon is tied at the top of the team with five assists while scoring a pair of goals for nine points on the year. In the net, Kaitlin Sinkler has carried the bulk of the load with 17 starts in 18 appearances while allowing just 11 goals on 80 shots faced and a total of eight shutouts on the season.
 
Series History Against Florida Tech:
The all-time series between the two sides is knotted a 3-3-2 with neither side pulling away from the other. The series began on Sept. 18, 2005, with a 1-1 tie in Melbourne, Fla. The Falcons would take the first win of the series on Spt. 10, 2006 before dropping two straight meetings. Montevallo took a win on Sept. 21, 2019, before falling at home on Sept. 5, 2021. Most recently, Montevallo defeated Florida Tech, 1-0, on August 26, 2022.