The Georgia Southern women’s soccer team snuck out of the first round of the conference tournament with a 1-0 win over the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Wednesday.

After a roughly hour-long delay caused by previous games running long, the Eagles took the field a little after 9 p.m.

The late start did not seem to have an effect on the game, with both teams playing an aggressive first half. Despite many chances, neither team found a goal in the first half, which set up a crucial final 45 minutes.

“It’s a Sun Belt conference game, we knew it was going to be a close one,” head coach Chris Adams said. “We were sitting at halftime looking at the stats and it’s 7-7 in shots and 2-2 in corner kicks. At that point you really just figure, who executes more is going to be the winner.

The Eagles did not have to wait long to break through in the second half, with fifth-year midfielder Marcela Montoya finding the back of the net just 22 seconds into the second half. The goal was Montoya’s ninth of the year, which leads the Eagles.

It was nice to get what we call a big five goal coming out of halftime,” said Adams “Absolute great play by Faith Phillips to slip behind the defense, and a really good serve. Alejandra (Gracia) battled to keep it alive, and Marcela hits an absolute cracker in the top corner.”

The Chanticleers upped their aggressiveness after the goal, causing the team to edge GS in shots (14-12) and corner kicks (7-6). However, the effort was not enough as goalkeeper Michaela English recorded five crucial saves.

After the win, the Eagles will now face the ULM Warhawks in the second round. Kickoff is currently schedule for 8 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN+.