UMSL’s Chelsea Riden tries to move around McKendree’s Grace Clement during Sunday’s GLVC women’s soccer tournament quarterfinal game at Leemon Field in Lebanon, Ill. (Photo courtesy: UMSL Athletics)
| Score by Period | 1st | 2nd | OT1 | OT2 | PKs | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UMSL (8-7-3) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| McKendree (12-2-4) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
by DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer
The University of Missouri-St. Louis women’s soccer team picked up its biggest win of the season Sunday afternoon, when it knocked off regular season champion and No. 24 nationally-ranked McKendree University, 5-4 in overtime penalty kicks, in the first round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament at McKendree’s Leemon Field in Lebanon, Ill.
The game went to overtime tied 1-1, and neither team was able to score in either of the 10-minute extra periods. That set up the penalty kick portion of overtime, which saw UMSL score on all five of its chances, while top-seeded McKendree was only able to score on four.
The victory will now send the eighth-seeded Tritons to the semifinal round of the GLVC Tournament, where it will play fifth-seeded Southern Indiana, on Friday, November 12. The semifinals and championship game will be played at Drury University’s Harrison Stadium on November 12 and 14.
On Sunday, UMSL, which had just lost 3-1 to McKendree in its regular season finale a week ago, grabbed the lead early and never trailed. Senior Mia Milazzo scored her second goal of the season, in the third minute, following a terrific pass from teammate Ayana Weissenfluh to give the Tritons the lead.
McKendree’s Emma Knoebel scored the equalizer three minutes into the second half, on a play that seemed to give the top-seeded Bearcats the momentum they needed to win the game.
The four-time defending champion Bearcats even had the best chance to win the game in overtime, when a shot stopped by UMSL goalkeeper Paige Schwartz bounded toward the goalline after she had lost her balance.
Fortunately though, UMSL’s Maddie Schweiss was there to clear the ball away before it crossed the goalline to keep the game tied.
After the second overtime ended, the penalty kicks began with both clubs making their first attempt. But McKendree’s second attempt sailed high over the net, giving UMSL a chance to take the lead, which the Tritons did when it scored on its chance.
Weissenfluh and junior Abby Reaves made those first two chances.
McKendree made its next three PKs, forcing UMSL to have to do the same to win the game, which the Tritons did, thanks to Milazzo, Mia Ware, and junior Candice Parziani, who made the game-winner to set off a wild celebration on the field.
UMSL, which now has an 8-7-3 record, will face a Southern Indiana team it defeated 2-1 on October 29. McKendree, which is 12-2-4 on the year, will now have to wait and see if it will earn an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament, which will begin on November 19.