QUARTERFINAL SCORES
@Morehead State 0, UT Martin 0 (Morehead State advances on a shootout)
Lindenwood 1, Southeast Missouri 1 (Lindenwood advances on a shootout)
MOREHEAD STATE 0, UT MARTIN 0
MOREHEAD, Ky. - For the first time since 2015, the Morehead State soccer team is headed to the semifinals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament after Sunday's thrilling victory over UT Martin.
90 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime proved to not be enough for the Eagles and Skyhawks, as both teams we unable to find the back of the net despite a combined 35 shots from both sides. By rule, a penalty shootout decided the match.
Both sides missed a PK, but made three of their first four, as Hadley Cytron, Erin Fite, and Kate Larbes nailed their chances. UT Martin's Alba Delgado stepped up in the fifth round looking to give the Skyhawks the lead, but Erin Gibbs made a spectacular diving save to her left to give the Eagles a chance to win in the shootout.
Anna Lohrer took advantage of that chance, finding the top left corner on her PK and sending the both the crowd and team into a frenzy as MSU advanced on PKs 4-3.
MSU held an 18-17 advantage in total shots, while UT Martin held a 9-6 advantage in shots on goal. Erin Gibbs finished with nine saves for Morehead State, continuing her phenomenal freshman season with a clutch performance in the match.
Morehead State will travel to Cookeville, Tennessee next weekend, where the third seeded Eagles will faceoff with the two seed SIUE Friday night. Kickoff from Tennessee Tech is set for 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT, as Morehead State looks to capture their first OVC Tournament Title since 2013.
LINDENWOOD 1, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 1
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The Lindenwood women's soccer team (6-7-6, 2-2-4 OVC) defeated SEMO (8-6-3, 4-2-2 OVC) in penalty kicks on Sunday afternoon from Cape Girardeau, Mo. Sam Blazek finished the game with a career-high 14 saves.
GAME OVERVIEW
SEMO scored early, taking the lead seven minutes into the game. After the early goal, the defense settled in with the help of goalkeeper Sam Blazek who made seven stops across the opening 45 minutes. With Lindenwood hanging around, the Lions worked the ball down the field, earning a foul in the box and a penalty kick. Jacqueline Baetz calmly stepped up and buried it, tying the game 1-1 with 10 minutes to go in the first half, which would be the score at halftime.
Blazek continued her strong play throughout the second half, making six more stops, increasing her total to 13 for the game. Lindenwood generated a late shot attempt inside five minutes remaining in the second half, but Lily Sutter put it just wide. The game would need overtime.
In the extra session both defenses held strong, which sent the game to penalty kicks. In PK's both teams missed their first attempt, while Jacqueline Baetz buried hers to give Lindenwood a 1-0 advantage. Blazek continued to stand tall, stopping the next three SEMO attempts, while Jill Wipke put the game away. Lindenwood advances to the OVC Championship semifinal on Friday, November 4.