LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. – It took 30 years for East Carolina soccer to stand atop the conference mountaintop, but from the left foot of Annabelle Abbott to the back of the Memphis goal, the Pirates had done it at long last — a 1-0 Golden Goal win in double-overtime against the top-seeded and prohibitively favored No. 19 Memphis Tigers. The goal, remarkably, was Abbott’s first of the season but timely was it ever.
Pope John Paul II supposedly once said, “Of all of the unimportant things, football is the most important.” It is probably fair to say that in Greenville, N.C., that has probably never been the case; but for one Sunday in afternoon in November, may it have been true. For it was then that the Pirates stood alone with their 10-3-7 record to claim their gilded trophy for their first ever American Athletic Conference Championship, securing the team’s first ever NCAA Tournament berth in the process.
The Pirates have Clinched a spot in the 2024 @NCAASoccer tournament! 🔥🏴☠️#GoPirates pic.twitter.com/7peU2mc46F
— East Carolina Soccer (@ECUSoc) November 10, 2024
The game itself was a title-game, prize-fight level slugfest. Both team’s took massive cracks at it. Maeve English made a remarkable save on a screamer of an Ashley Henderson shot in the 38th minute — much more on English later. Also in the first half, Lucy Fazackerley looked sure to have put the Pirates in front, but Kaylie Bierman got two gloves to her firm header.
The second half was a bit more of a chess match, neither side wanting to give an edge to their opponent. Memphis forced one save as they outshot the Pirates in the second 45, but never looked to have their potential winner.
Impossible is N̶o̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ DONE pic.twitter.com/eSU88MPq1k
— East Carolina Pirates (@ECUAthletics) November 10, 2024
It has become something of a habit, it seems, for English to make a highlight reel save in overtime in the AAC Tournament. She was in the SportsCenter Top 10 for her stop against South Florida on Thursday and she may well do it again for her stop of Anna Hauer in the 97th minute, preventing a would-be Golden Goal and allowing the Pirates to play on.
In the second overtime, the underdogs knew they needed but one chance and they took it. In the 107th minute Annabelle Abbott received a cross and hit the ball back in to keep it alive before it bounced back out to her, and she seized her chance. Left footed from near the six she let it rip and Bierman had nary a chance in the world.
CHAMPIONSHIP DUB🏴☠️🏆#AmericanWay x #AmericanWSOC pic.twitter.com/4DwOJXRBrq
— The American (@American_Conf) November 10, 2024
Into the goal the ball went, and the celebration commenced.
“I was keeping the ball in the box, and it just bounced back out to me and I decided to take a shot,” said Abbott. “It went in and that was pretty awesome.”
Maeve English was named Tournament Most Outstanding Defensive Player and Annabelle Abbott was named Tournament Offensive MOP. Erica Roberts, Sydney Schnell and Abby Sowa were also named to the All-Tournament Team. Roberts scored the winner in game one, Schnell the equalizer in the semifinal and Sowa was simply sensational all season, still having not exited a match since 2021.
Speaking of English, her shutout moved her to 30 for her career, equaling the program record and giving her another accomplishment on the long list of her career accolades. She owns the program starts records, is tied for the appearance record with Abbott and has played more minutes than any other keeper in ECU history. And now, she is the first keeper in program history to attain the ultimate goal with a conference crown and an NCAA Tournament trip, cementing her spot in the minds of many (including the writer) as the greatest to ever do it in goal for the Purple and Gold.
“I just felt relaxed and calm,” said English. “I was focused on the preparation we’ve worked on since July, since we came together, and I knew my routine would set me up for success so I just tried to control the controllables… I just tried to stay engaged in the game and help put us in the best position to be successful.”
One last note for the history nerds: entering 2024, the last time the Pirates had played a conference quarterfinal was a 2023 loss to Charlotte—the team beat Charlotte in the quarters in 2024. The last time the team had played a semifinal was in 2018, a loss to South Florida—the Pirates downed the Bulls in the semis in 2024. The last and lone previous time the Pirates had played in a conference final was in 2008, a 4-1 thumping against Memphis. Well, we know how it went in 2024 and the tour through history is complete. Wrongs have been righted, demons exorcised, and the East Carolina Pirates are Champions at last.
Up Next
The Pirates will learn their NCAA Tournament destination on Monday night at 4 p.m. when the organization announces their full field of 64.