No. 19 Pirates Down Spartans, 4-2

SAVANNAH, Ga. - The No. 19-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State women's soccer team overcame an early two-goal deficit on Friday afternoon at AT&T Field, scoring four unanswered goals as the Pirates defeated Tampa, 4-2, in Savannah.

The win kept the Pirates (6-1-2) unbeaten in its last six matches, while Tampa (3-5-1) dropped its third straight match - all against nationally-ranked opponents.

The Spartans started very quickly, getting a pair of goals in the first six minutes of the match off of two corner kicks. The first corner rebounded around the top of the box, before Brittan Spence put it in the back of the net just 1:35 into the match for a quick 1-0 Tampa lead.

A corner kick in the sixth minute delivered the same result, this time with Samantha Kay far post burying a shot, beating AASU keeper Tracey Mitchell for the early two-goal lead.

The lead would stand up for the first 30 minutes of the match, but freshman Kristina Pascutti - playing her first match in two weeks for the Pirates - got AASU on the board, taking a pass from Björg Magnea Ólafs and beating Tampa keeper Saige Steinmetz in the 31st minute to cut the lead to 2-1.

A little corner kick magic of the Pirates' own would draw the match even at 2-2 in the 33rd minute when senior Kristin Burton's corner found the head of freshman Morgan Mitchell for her fifth goal of the year - four on headers - to tie things up.

A furious final minute resulted in AASU taking the lead with 3.5 seconds left before halftime. Burton was fouled by Tampa on what appeared to be a breakaway, with the whistle sounding with under a minute left. The Pirates scrambled to set up the free kick from about 35 yards out, and Burton delivered a strike to the top right corner to break the tie and send AASU into intermission with a one-goal lead.

Tampa had chances in the second half to draw back even, but a second goal from Pascutti in the 72nd minute on an assist from Burton put the Pirates up by a pair and sealed the victory.

Mitchell made six saves in net for the Pirates, while Steinmetz made four for the Spartans. AASU held a 16-13 shot advantage and corner kicks were even at four apiece.

The Pirates have little time to rest as they host Georgia Southwestern State in a Peach Belt Conference match on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at AT&T Field.