SPRINGFIELD, Mo.– Third-seeded Drury advanced to the Great Lakes Valley Conference Semifinals as they got past sixth-seeded Illinois Springfield in a game decided by a penalty kick shootout at Harrison Stadium on Sunday. The two teams battled to a scoreless tie in regulation, then through two overtimes before the Panthers won 5-4 on penalty kicks.
Penalty kicks were deadlocked at 4-4 through five rounds, then Panthers midfielder
Kourtney Tucker converted her shot in round six, while Illinois Springfield's Hannah Stearns sent her attempt high, giving Drury the win.
While the game was scoreless for 110 minutes, both teams had near-misses. Drury had an 8-3 advantage in shots at halftime, but the Prairie Stars nearly got on the board late in the first half when Panthers goalkeeper
Kaitlin Knetzke made a diving save to her left on a shot from Avery Harrison.
Drury nearly broke through in the 74
th minute as they sent a ball in front of the Illinois Springfield net, and a scramble ensued. Prairie Stars goalie Allison Mirimanian made one save but gave up a rebound, and the Panthers had their second shot blocked before UIS could get the ball cleared.
Drury had the only two shots in the first overtime, but Illinois Springfield opened the second overtime session with a shot from Emily Tully that barely missed the crossbar. A minute later, Drury's
Mel Schneider blasted a shot that went slightly wide of the right post.
The Panthers missed on their first penalty kick, but
Rachel Dzarnowski,
Tara Simon,
Kristy Castelan and
Andrea Camargo all converted to even the PK session to 4-4. UIS missed on their second PK attempt. Tucker then converted her attempt in round six to send Drury to the GLVC semifinals.
"What a game this was," said Drury head coach
Justin Olson. "I'm really proud of our team and how they handled a tough situation at the end of the game. To win on penalty kicks is something I haven't experienced in a long time, but we worked on them all week and were prepared, so I'm proud of them for showing that."
Drury outshot Illinois Springfield 20-6 and the Panthers had six shots on goal to the Prairie Stars three. Simon had five shots to lead the Panthers. Mirmanian made six saves while Knetzke had three and earned her 13
th shutout of the season for the Panthers.
"It was a hard game," said Drury midfielder
Ines Villanueva Casal. "Our defense has been amazing and they save us every single game. From the forwards to the midfielders to the defense and Kaitlin, everyone works really hard and that shows."
Drury will advance to the GLVC Semifinals to play second-seeded McKendree on Friday at noon in East Peoria, Ill. The Bearcats defeated Rockhurst 1-0 in their quarterfinal game on Sunday. The GLVC Championship game is scheduled for Sun., Nov. 12, at noon in East Peoria, Ill.
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