LA JOLLA, Calif. - The Chico State women's soccer team upset defending national champion Seattle Pacific in the first round of the NCAA Division II National Championships Thursday on the campus of UC San Diego, securing a dramatic win with a 4-3 penalty kick shootout. Advancing to the second round for the first time in program history, the Wildcats will face the Tritons on Saturday at 7 p.m.
"What a game, what a battle," CSUC head coach Kim Sutton said. "They are such a fantastic team and obviously there were moments at both ends where both teams had great chances. That's what you have to love about this sport. All the credit to them, they're a very good team. We had a rough October where we hit a bit of a slump. I've ben telling them for the last week and a half that I thought we were really back and playing really well again. I thought against Cal State L.A. last week, despite the result, I thought we played really well. Tonight, they went above and beyond what I've seen. That was just one heck of a performance, just a gritty performance from both teams."
The Falcons of SPU finish their 2009 season at 16-3-2, a year after winning the national title. CSUC, after entering the match with an 0-7-2 all-time record against the Falcons and winless in the NCAA postseason, move into the second round for a contest with California Collegiate Athletic Association foe UCSD.
Both teams went scoreless through the 90 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of two overtime periods, despite SPU taking 18 shots in that span and CSUC attempting six corner kicks in the second half alone. The closest chance of the overtime came roughly two minutes into the second frame when Falcons' senior forward Jocelyn Charette lined a hard shot toward the left of the net. With Wildcats' goalkeeper Natalie Bensky shifted to the other side, freshman defender Sarah Steele was the only player in position to keep the ball out of the net and she did just that, knocking it out of the box and keeping the match 0-0.
After 110 minutes of scoreless play, the first-round contest moved to penalty kicks. After Charette and CSUC freshman Sadi' Stouder trading successful attempts, SPU sophomore Brandi Hamre sent her kick wide right. With the Wildcats taking an advantage off the missed attempt, Falcons' goalkeeper Maddie Dickinson evened the tally by stopping a shot from CSUC freshman Shelby Dunlap. The shootout moved to 3-3 with the potentially final players set to kick. SPU freshman defender Taylor Sawyer lined her shot just over the crossbar, leaving the door open for the Wildcats to close it out. Sophomore defender Molly Downtain did just that, lifting a shot into the upper left corner of the net past Dickinson, advancing the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament's second round for the first time in program history.
The UCSD squad, one of two hosts to the NCAA West Region's first and second-round play, will enter Saturday's match on eight days rest. The two CCAA teams, despite playing in two different divisions, have previously met 11 times with the Tritons owning a 7-4 advantage. UCSD lost to CSUC on the road Sept. 20, 2-0, behind a pair of goals from Lisa Webster in a stretch of under two minutes. The Wildcats and Tritons have met twice in the CCAA Tournament, both UCSD wins, but never before in the NCAA postseason.
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