WILDER, Ky. - Penalty kicks.
For the University of Wisconsin-Parkside women’s soccer team on Sunday afternoon, they were a saving grace and, ultimately, the deciding factor in winning a Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament championship.
And not just because the Rangers captured the GLVC title in a penalty-kick shootout by a 3-2 score over five-time defending GLVC champion Northern Kentucky University at the Town & Country Sports Complex.
Wisconsin-Parkside trailed NKU 1-0 with less than eight minutes remaining in regulation, when Lisa Gorski broke through the Norse defense and dribbled the ball into the penalty box. Three NKU defenders converged on Gorski, who fell down after she appeared to step on the ball and slip.
Referee Matt Bole, however, called a foul and Wisconsin-Parkside was awarded a penalty kick with just 7:20 remaining. Megan Jurvis converted the kick to tie the contest at 1-1, and the two teams battled through two scoreless overtime periods before heading into the penalty-kick shootout to determine the GLVC champion.
“Our players thought (Gorski) slipped on her own, but the official saw it differently and they tied it with the penalty kick,” NKU head coach Bob Sheehan said. “We held them to just one shot the first half, and the only shot they get in the second half comes on a penalty kick.”
With time winding down in the second overtime, it appeared NKU would benefit from a foul in the penalty box when Wisconsin-Parkside goalie Abbigale Wild tackled the Norse’s Amy Law near the goal. NKU’s Becky Schnieders took the ensuing penalty kick with 1:28 remaining, but her shot hit the right post and the contest ended in a tie.
In the shootout, NKU gained a 2-1 lead when Bobbi Meister and Kendra Zinser each converted kicks. Gorski, however, tied the shootout at 2-2 by making her penalty shot.
Amy Martini’s attempt was blocked by Wild to keep the shootout tied at 2-2, and Sara Beebe gave the Rangers a 3-2 advantage by converting her attempt.
Robyn Withers had a final chance to tie the shootout, but her kick was blocked by Wild and Wisconsin-Parkside celebrated its first-ever GLVC championship in women’s soccer.
“We practice penalty kicks a great deal, and we feel like we were prepared for this because they take a lot of them during our practices,” Sheehan said. “Hopefully, we will learn from this and earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.”
NKU is expected to receive its fifth straight berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament when the pairings are announced at 5 p.m. Monday. The Norse (16-2-3) are currently ranked No. 3 in the Great Lakes Region poll, and the top four teams will advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
The match with Wisconsin-Parkside is recorded as a 1-1 tie, and the Norse’s unbeaten streak against GLVC opponents is now at 57 consecutive matches.
NKU is 51-0-6 against GLVC teams during the past four years. The Norse have not lost to a GLVC opponent since Oct. 9, 1999, when Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville posted a 3-1 win over NKU.
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Bobbi Meister |