Fayette, Mo. - After falling behind 1-0 at halftime, the No. 1 Central Methodist Women's Soccer program used a five-goal second half to cruise past Benedictine College in the Heart Tournament Semifinals Wednesday night at Davis Field. 

With the win, the Eagles will make their fifth-straight appearance in the Heart Tournament Championship game. In addition, CMU improves their overall record to 17-1-1. 

Central found themselves trailing just 14 minutes into the match, as the Ravens scored on a set piece to go out in front 1-0. The Eagles struggled against the suffocating defense of Benedictine, as Central finished with just four shots in the first half compared to 10 for BC. 

Halftime adjustments proved to be critical for Central, as the offense came alive for 11 shots in the second half including five goals. 

The game-tying goal came in the 51st minute of play, as Renee Berak found Kirstine Lykke for the first score. Lykke got just enough of a touch on the ball, which just slipped past the Raven goalkeeper to tie the game. 

Less than 20 second later, Lykke scored her second goal of the night on the assist from Mariana Barreto to put Central out in front 2-1. Lykke fired off a left footed shot that just snuck into the near post for the score. 

In the 70th minute, Central cued up for a corner kick which was taken by Larissa Ozorio. The freshman connected with fellow freshman Mariana Barreto, who got the ball just over the goal line for the third goal of the match. 

Sitting comfortably in front, Lacey Ann Murray notched her seventh goal of the year, as the junior foward sent a strike into the upper left corner of the net from 20 yards out in the 79th minute. 

Lykee completed the hat trick with her third goal in the 81st minute with the assist from Paula Castro. Altogether, Lykke finished the night with four shots, including three on goal which all found the back of the net. 

Both Castro and Murray tallied three shots including a goal for Murray in the second half. 

Central finished the evening with 15 shots including eight shots on goal. The Eagles' defense also stepped up in the second half, holding Ravens to just two second half shots. 

Candela Blanco Esteban tallied three saves in a full 90 minutes between the posts for her 12th win of the year. 

Central will host No. 2 seeded and rival Missouri Valley College for the Heart Tournament Championship Saturday, Nov. 11 at 1:00 p.m. at Davis Field. 

The Eagles will look to complete the regular season and tournament championship sweep for the fifth-straight season with a win against the Vikings. 

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