Women's Soccer's Season Ends In PKs Against Flagler

SALISBURY, N.C. – The No. 2 seeded Catawba Women's Soccer team had their season end in heartbreaking fashion, falling in a penalty shootout by a score of 5-4 to No. 3 seeded Flagler in the NCAA Women's Southeast Regional after a tight 1-1 affair that went the full 90 minutes and double overtime. The loss marks the second consecutive year Catawba has fallen in penalties at the NCAA Regional stage after last year's loss to Lenoir-Rhyne.

It was a match that saw plenty of action between the Regional's highest two seeds, with each team having several scoring opportunities but each team's keeper and defenders showing why these squads conceded so few goals this season. Flagler's Madison North recorded four saves across regulation and overtime and then came up huge to stop a pair of Catawba penalties, while her Catawba counterpart Sierra Davis delivered six saves of her own and a penalty stop.

Both teams came out firing from the gate, with the only two goals of the game being traded within a minute of each other early in the first half. Hannah Dunn opened the scoring for Catawba in the 15^th minute, as she fired in a low, curling effort from just outside of the 18-yard box on the left hand side. Another Catawba player darted into the box in an attempt to redirect the ball, freezing Madison North and allowing Dunn's hit to find the back of the net.

Flagler would answer back through Andrea Fernandez just a minute later, after she won and converted a penalty kick following a handball in the box that blocked a shot attempt. Fernandez picked out the bottom left corner, leaving Sierra Davis rooted to the spot. That would be it for the rest of the game, as both teams locked it down defensively for the rest of regulation and then for another 20 minutes of overtime.

There was certainly late drama, with Flagler being reduced to 10 players after Saints midfielder Emery Biggs was given a red card and sent off after her second yellow card just past the hour mark in the 64^th minute. Catawba would push hard for the winning goal, but couldn't find as Flagler put together a strong defensive effort to keep the Regional hosts at bay.

Penalties provided plenty more drama, with Katie Beck and Sydney Jimmo converting the first two spot kicks for Catawba and being matched by Andrea Fernandez and Chloe Byrne for Flagler. After Hannah Dunn squared away Catawba's third, Sierra Davis produced the first save of the shootout against Brin Wexler to put Catawba up 3-2.

Kasey Hahn and Liz Hall would convert the next two for their respective teams, meaning Catawba could clinch on the next goal; however, after Madison North was deemed off her line on her initial attempt, Catawba's Lillie Rusher saw North save her second shot. Flagler's Sara Carr made if 4-4, and then Riley Dorman saw her shot saved in another huge moment in goal for Madison North. Elke Fernandez would make it 5-4 and seal the deal for Flagler, sending the No. 3 seeded Saints onwards to the next round and giving Catawba a final record on the season of 16-3-3.