The University of Southern Indiana women’s soccer team tied Rockhurst University, 1-1 in double overtime, but missed a chance to advance to the title game on penalty kicks Friday evening in the Great Lakes Valley Conference semifinals at Woehrle Athletic Complex in Jeffersonville, Indiana. USI, the third seed, goes to 12-5-3 overall in 2018, while seventh-seeded Rockhurst watched its record go to 10-7-2 this fall.
After battling to the 1-1 tie through 110 minutes of regulation and two overtimes, the Eagles lost the battle of penalty kicks, 4-3, to the Hawks. Rockhurst converted on its last three attempts to earn the right to advance to Sunday GLVC Championship game.
USI got out in front of Rockhurst early with a goal at 6:08 by sophomore forward Maggie Winter (St. Louis, Missouri). She headed in her seventh goal of the year off a cross by senior forward Kennedy Moore(Evansville, Indiana). The Eagles would hold the 1-0 lead through the intermission.
In the second half, the Hawks knotted the game up, 1-1, with a tally at 51:25. The Hawks and the Eagles would battle back and forth for the remainder of regulation before heading into overtime.
USI had the momentum through the overtime periods, leading 4-1 in shots, but could not find the back of the Rockhurst net.
Between the posts for the Eagles, USI senior goalkeeper Emily Hopkins (Greenfield, Indiana) battle valiantly through the 110 minutes of the match to earn the tie. She allowed the one goal and made six saves before the match was decided by penalty kicks.
USI, who had entered the NCAA Division II Midwest Region rankings for the first time last week, will wait until Monday to see if it will receive a selection for an at-large berth in the NCAA II Tournament. The Eagles are 7-0-1 in its last eight matches, tied a program record with seven consecutive wins, and reached the GLVC semifinals for the first time since 1999 in the final month of the season.
