WINONA LAKE, Ind. - For the second time this season, No. 17 Grace's women's soccer team got the better of No. 20 Spring Arbor.
After beating the Cougars 2-0 in the regular season, the Lady Lancers made it a bit more dramatic on Saturday.
After a double overtime scoreless draw, Grace won a penalty kick shootout 4-3 in the quarterfinals of the Crossroads League Tournament.
The Lady Lancers (14-3-2) advance to the semifinals of the CL Tournament and will play at second-seeded Marian on Nov. 9 at 4 p.m.
The first half was evenly played in terms of shot attempts, although Grace had the upper hand in possession.
Corinne Villalobos had the first chance for Grace which sliced high. Alexis Larimore also tried to create a goal with a sneaky strike, but her attempt misfired.
One of the best chances of the half came off the foot of Liz Van Wormer. The senior surprised SAU's goalkeeper, and her lofted shot nearly crossed the goal line.
Bethany Blackwood made a strong play to keep the game scoreless. The goalkeeper faced a breakaway 1-on-1 opportunity after Grace's defense lost possession, and Blackwood denied the shot to keep the score 0-0 at halftime.
Each side had six shots with one on goal in the opening half.
The second half started with optimism for Grace. JJ Aalbue was tackled in the box to earn a penalty kick. Aalbue's PK attempt was stopped with a diving save, however, and the match continued its stalemate.
Both teams had chances to win the game in the second half, but no player was able to take advantage of a winning moment. Grace had three shots over the final 17 minutes while holding the Cougars (8-4-6) to just one chance.
The first overtime saw just one shot attempt for Cougars as fatigue began to impact play. In fact, there was nearly twice as many fouls (8) as shots (5) during the overtime sessions.
Three minutes into the second overtime, Grace missed a golden chance. Sacia Hanson made a run from penalty box to penalty box and slipped a pass ahead to Joana Schimmel, but Schimmel's eight-yard strike was tipped above the crossbar.
The match ended scoreless after 110 minutes of competitive soccer, sending the match to a penalty shootout to determine a victor.
Grace and SAU both made two of their first three kicks. Spring Arbor took a 3-2 advantage when Grace's fourth kick hit the goalpost and the Cougars converted.
The pressure was palpable as Van Wormer needed to score to keep the shootout alive, and the senior converted. The Cougars then skied their next shot over the crossbar as the shootout went to sudden death.
Schimmel promptly scored on the sixth attempt to put the Lady Lancers ahead. Blackwood took care of the rest, producing a diving save on SAU's shot to clinch the match. Grace's team mobbed Blackwood in the penalty area as the Lady Lancers secured their spot in the semifinals.
The Lady Lancers had a 15-14 edge in shot attempts. Each team tried five corner kicks.
Aalbue had five shots to lead all players, and Van Wormer and Schimmel each shot four times.
Blackwood made five saves in her 110 minute shutout, and she was protected by the defensive line of Lea Messenger, Hannah Tkacz, Anna Kuhl and Brooke Kohler.
