MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Lady Crusaders punched their ticket to their 12^th straight SSAC Tournament final with a 3-0 victory over Life University on Thursday afternoon at the Emory Folmar YMCA Complex.
 
Having beat Life with a narrow 2-1 victory in Marietta, Ga. during the regular season, Carey knew their route to the final would not be an easy one. Life started the game controlling possession high up the field with the Lady Crusaders struggling to muster any meaningful attacks.
 
Despite Life's early possession, it was the Crusaders who struck first, and early. Life, playing a high defensive line, left plenty of space in behind and that's exactly what Rocio Fernandez recognized. Spotting the run of Christina Salmon in behind, Fernandez lofted a ball over the top of the Life defense for the run of Salmon. Salmon brought the ball under control and attempted to go round Justine Candel in the Life goal. Candel got down low and pushed the ball out from Salmon's feet. Salmon managed to retrieve the ball, hold off the pressure from the defender, and fire home low into the bottom left corner at the second time of asking.
 
After the goal, Carey controlled the game with the result never in doubt. Virginia Mesa nearly doubled the lead on 19 minutes. Fernandez's through high on the left found the feet of Mesa on the corner of the penalty area. Mesa used her strength and skill to roll the defender and looked to curl her shot over the Life goalkeeper, only for Candel to make the save.
 
30 minutes in and the Lady Crusaders had doubled their lead. Alyssia Davis picked the ball up high on Carey's right-hand side. Davis, one-on-one with the left back, blazed past her defender in typical Davis fashion and squared the ball to Esalenna Galekhutle. Galekhutle, unmarked in the middle of the six-yard box, simply steered the ball past a helpless Candel and Carey had their second.
 
10 seconds left in the half and Karen Vilau thought she had added a third on the stroke of half time. Realizing there were only seconds remaining in the half, Vilau spotted Candel slightly off her line and decided to try her luck. Candel managed to read Vilau's body shape just in time and backpedaled to make the save.
 
The Lady Running Eagle's best chances of the game were coming from set pieces. However, this is exactly what would lead to Carey's third and final goal of the game. Life, looking to find a goal, and a way back into the game, won themselves a corner a minute into the second half. A commanding header from Livia Pertl cleared the ball onto the edge of the box, just in front of Salmon and she did the rest. Salmon managed to toe poke the ball away from the Life defender on the edge of her own penalty arc and was off to the races. Salmon galloped down the field with only one defender between her and the goal. Running from box-to-box, Salmon strode past the last remaining defender and slotted cooly past Candel for her second and Carey's third of the night.
 
Carey controlled the entirety of the second half, limiting the Lady Running Eagles to half chances and set pieces. Nerea Pallas Padilla stood tall in the Carey net, saving Life's only shot on goal and proving a commanding presence in the air on set pieces.
 
The Lady Crusader's could've added insult to injury in the second half but couldn't convert on their chances. Zalma Torres proved a constant thorn in Life's side with her direct running and trickery but couldn't put the finishing touches on some terrific moves.
 
The Lady Crusaders play in their 12^th straight SSAC final this Saturday, November 9, at 4 PM. They take on the #1 seed U.T. Southern.