Bloomington, Illinois – The second-ranked Trinity Tigers rallied from a goal down in the closing minutes of regulation to win a penalty shootout over Illinois Wesleyan and advanced to the NCAA Sectionals.
The second-round game, postponed from Sunday because of tornadic activity in the area, was tied at 1-1 after two overtime periods. Trinity's Emily Jorgens broke the 4-4 shootout deadlock with the 20th-ranked Titans, which sent the unbeaten Tigers to the NCAA Sweet 16.
Illinois Wesleyan completed its season with a 13-2-6 record.
Trinity (22-0-2) will host the third round, and quarterfinals, on Friday and Saturday. The Tigers take on fifth-ranked Montclair State (20-0-1) at 5 p.m. Friday. The quarterfinals are set for 5 p.m. Saturday.
The first score of Monday's defensive battle did not come until late in the second half, when Illinois Wesleyan's Tillie Bill put the Titans on the board in the 73
rd minute. But nine minutes later, the Tigers
Emily Jorgens tied the score, with an assist from
Kelsey Falcone. It marked Jorgens' 18
th goal of the season, and the 13
th assist by Falcone.
Tiger goalkeeper
Devan Osegueda registered one save in 110 minutes of play. The Titans Zoie Samaan had 12 saves in the matchup.
Illinois Wesleyan's Sydney Fox gave the Titans a 1-0 lead in the shootout. Trinity's
Shelby Hopkins evened things up at 1-1, when Bill made it 2-1 for IWU. The Tigers
Michelle Lanier tied the procedure at 2-2. Then Osegueda deflected the ball on an attempt by Alex Partipillo.
Yasmeen Farra put Trinity ahead 3-2, but IWU's Mary Kate Schmidt countered with a successful attempt.
Kimberly Polasek made the shot for the Tigers, followed by the Titans fourth goal, made by Ashley Montijo. Jorgens capped off the tight shootout as Trinity advanced in the national event.
On Saturday, the Tigers opened their fifth consecutive NCAA Championship with a 3-1 victory over Augustana (Ill.). Coach
Lance Key has guided the Tigers to the playoffs nine times during his 10-year tenure.
