Ferris State Soccer's Magical Run Ends In National Semfinal

Game Replay
Postgame Press Conference 
Postgame Highlights & Comments 
Interview w/FSU President Dr. Bill Pink 

Seattle, Wash. - The Ferris State University Soccer team, who pioneered further than any team in program history, met their end in the Division II National Semifinal, falling to the unbeaten top seeded West Chester (Pa.) Golden Rams 2-1 on Thursday (Dec. 1) at Interbay Stadium in Seattle, Washington.

The Bulldogs, seeded sixth in their own region, knocked off the top three seeds in their own region, won their first-ever Regional Championship by defeating the reigning national champions, defeated another Regional Champion in the national quarterfinals, and ventured to their first-ever Final Four before the ride ended.

Ferris State came out firing and had a strong early chance staved off. It was West Chester on the board first, coming at 25:01 when Jacqueline Hug got loose in the Ferris State box to give the Golden Rams an early 1-0 lead.

A little over 11 minutes later, Ferris State found the equalizer when junior Brinley Bell scored her second goal of the year. The play began as a Ferris State corner that senior Katie Nestico took. Nestico lifted a service that found Bell wide open inside the box. Bell headed the ball inside the right goal post, knotting the game at 1-1 at 36:34 of the contest. The assist was Nestico's sixth of the season.

In the second half, the Golden Rams reclaimed their lead at 64:59 when Maggie Lena laced a shot past Ferris State sophomore goalkeeper Darya Mosallaei for the 2-1 lead, and eventual game winner.

Ferris State pressed for the equalizer, but time ran out on the Bulldogs' longest run in school history.

This was Ferris State's third NCAA Tournament Appearance in program history, all coming in the last four years. Head Coach Greg Henson became the first Bulldog coach to get the Bulldogs into back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in school history this season, and helped the Bulldogs advance past the Sweet Sixteen for the first time ever.

Ferris State finished 12-6-7 on the year, and went 11-3-5 after their first six games of the campaign. A total of more than 10 Bulldogs who saw significant action this season are slated to return next season.