Georgetown, Texas - The 20th-ranked and top-seeded Trinity women's soccer team was edged by host Southwestern (TX) University in a 5-4 shootout Sunday in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship game.
MATCH SUMMARY
The shootout occurred after a hard-fought 0-0 tie after regulation.
Tiger goalkeeper Paige Wallace stopped a Pirates shot on goal in the sixth minute of play.
Trinity kept firing away at the Southwestern goalkeeper, but could not get the ball into the net. In the first half alone, the Tigers posted five shots on the mark, including in the 41st minute.
The Tigers next shot on goal occurred in the 55th minute and again in the 68th minute of action. Wallace made a key save in the 57th minute of the championship tilt.
Trinity was awarded a penalty kick in the 76th minute, but was unsuccessful in the attempt. A minute later, another shot was stopped, and the final attempt on goal took place with three minutes on the clock. The women's final went to PK's for the first time in tournament history.
In the first overtime period Wallace made her third save of the matchup, in the 91st minute. Trinity's "artillery" kept firing with two shots on goal in the 108th and 110th minute of play.
The Tigers led 13-3 in shots on goal and 24-3 in total shots.
Then came the penalty kicks portion of the title match, as Southwestern took an early 1-0 lead. Kristen Canepa evened the count, but the Pirates player gave Southwestern a 2-1 lead.
Alex Walsh missed her chance and the Southwestern shooter connected on the next attempt.
Cece Hendricks tightened things up, the Pirates shooter missed, and Cassie Bowers made her attempt as the count was even at 3-all.
Each team missed its next two shots, but Southwestern then took a 4-3 lead. Abby Blackwood kept the drama going with her successful shot. The Pirates led 5-4 in the shootout when Molly Sheridan missed her attempt in the final shot of the game.
NOTABLES
Trinity stands at 15-3-1 and will await word of an at-large berth in the NCAA Division III Playoffs. The Tigers reached the finals of the SCAC Tournament for the 11th consecutive occasion.
Southwestern has posted a record of 16-4-1 mark and will receive the automatic bid to the NCAA postseason event.
The Tigers had defeated the Pirates four times in the tournament final, including last season.
Officially listed as a tie, the result marked the first non-victory by Trinity in the SCAC postseason since 1991. Trinity's NCAA Division III streak of 134 consecutive conference victories was also halted.
Paige Wallace guarded the net for 110 minutes and did not allow a goal, while making three saves.
Kaity Ward took six total shots with four on the mark. Camryn Beall had four shots, with three on goal. Kristen Canepa had two shots on goal.
UP NEXT
Trinity awaits word of a possible at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Playoffs. The NCAA will announce the field at 12:00 p.m. Central Time Monday.
