Cincinnati, Ohio – The Transylvania women's soccer team saw its season come to a heartbreaking end in a 1(1)-1(3) loss in a penalty shootout against the Mount St. Joseph University Lions on Wednesday night at Schueler Field.
The loss knocked the Pioneers out of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament while the Lions will advance to play Hanover College in the conference championship match on Saturday.
After falling to the tournament No. 2 seed Lions earlier in the regular season in a 1-0 overtime loss, the Pioneers aimed to flip the script in the high-stakes tournament affair and were on the verge of returning the favor in equally dramatic fashion in the match's most critical late moments.
From the opening whistle, the Pioneers looked to pressure the Lions and proved their mettle. After a scoreless opening half, the two sides were deadlocked in shots at 4-4, with the Pioneers holding a slim 3-2 advantage in shots on goal.
Shortly after the second half began, the Lions took the lead in the 57th minute with a long-range shot that would have required a miraculous save from Morgan Patton to go up 1-0.
The Pioneers continued to pressure the Lions but struggled to find the finishing touch. With time in regulation winding down and urgency rising, Transylvania called upon team captain Abby Baker to equalize. In the 87th minute, Abby Dean whipped in a cross from the right side and Baker flicked a perfect header over the Lion goalkeeper to tie the match and force overtime.
After two quick periods of overtime, a penalty shootout was necessary to determine who would capture a berth into the HCAC Championship game. Both sides missed their opening penalties as they felt out the goalkeepers' strategies. Allison O'Hara scored the first penalty of the shootout but was quickly answered by the Lions.
The Pioneers went on to miss their final two kicks while the Lions scored both as they won the instant classic.
An exciting fall 2021 Pioneer season comes to an end with a 10-6-3 record overall. Patton signed off on an extraordinary career starting four years in goal with five saves in her final appearance while her offensive contemporary Baker signed off on her final match with one last goal, finishing with nine on the season and a goal in each of her final four matches.
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