BROWNS SUMMIT, NC – Junior forward Kristina Syragakis scored on a 10-yard shot with 7.8 seconds left in regulation to hand third-seeded Francis Marion University a thrilling 1-0 win over fourth-seeded Belmont Abbey College, Sunday afternoon (Nov. 17) in the championship game of the 2024 Conference Carolinas Women's Soccer Tournament.
 
The Patriots improve to 12-2-4 and advance to the NCAA Division II national tournament for the third time in program history.  They previously went dancing in 1998 and 2000.  The conference championship is only the second for the Patriot program that began in 1995, and the first since FMU captured the Peach Belt Conference Tournament title in 2001.
 
The Patriots will now await the announcement of the national tournament field on Monday night at 7 p.m.
 
The winning sequence began with a long through ball from senior midfielder Le'Landra Jarvis that Syragakis controlled while fighting off a Belmont Abby defender and then slotted her attempt from just beyond the penalty slot into the right side of the goal setting off a wild celebration on the FMU sideline.  Syragakis, earlier named the conference's Offensive Player of the Year, was selected as the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.
 
The Crusaders (12-4-4) outshot Francis Marion 9-7 and earned the only two corner kicks of the match.
 
FMU sophomore goalkeeper Erin Grabeel recorded three saves, while Belmont Abbey's Brianna Sroka also had three stops.
 
The opening 45 minutes featured only five combined shots, the only one of which was on frame was by the Crusaders' Maddie Gnolfo in the 44th minute that Grabeel handled with ease.
 
In the second half, Grabeel denied an attempt by Crusader forward Haley Long in the 67th minute, but came up with her save of the tournament at the 67:46 mark when she leapt to push a blast by Long over the cross bar.
 
Belmont Abbey's Reagan Cullen put a header toward the goal that bounded back off the right post leaving the match still scoreless in the 84th minute.
 
Joining Syragakis on the All-Tournament Team were graduate student midfielder Ashley Jordan, senior midfielder Linsey Downey, freshman midfielder Samantha Bodwell, and Grabeel.