NAIA TOURNAMENT BRACKET
WINONA LAKE, Ind. – Ten days removed from a crushing set of penalty kicks in the Cascade Conference Tournament, the Southern Oregon women's soccer team got to experience the elation of the other side with the stakes raised on Thursday night.
In the first round of the NAIA Championships against Morningside (Iowa), Raider forward Abby McKean forced a 1-1 tie with an 83rd-minute equalizer and, following two scoreless overtime sessions, SOU exorcised its shootout demons by prevailing 4-3 at 1st Source Bank Field.
The advancement was the second in national tournament history for the Raiders (14-2-3), who are now among the last 32 teams standing. Unbeaten in seven straight matches and 14 of their last 15, their reward is a second-round date with host Grace (Ind.), the tournament's No. 7 overall seed, at 11 a.m. PT Saturday.
The Mustangs (11-1-6), champions of the Great Plains Athletic Conference, were less than eight minutes from putting them away before the heroics unfolded. They worked with a lead after Keyera Harmon collected a cross and scored on a one-timer from up close in the 55th minute.
McKean extended the affair by depositing her 15th goal of the season. With the Raiders running out of time, she passed ahead to Emily Hyde and never broke stride down the left sideline – getting it back from Hyde moments later on an advantage and slotting in a 15-yard attempt to the far post.
The Raiders produced the only two on-target shots of overtime, but keeper Brittany Standley got her chance to take over in the shootout by smothering two Morningside attempts. The teams were tied 3-3 heading into the fifth round – Miller Bertani, Ava Johnson and Carter O'Shea calmly converted for SOU – when Standley shuffled to her left and squared up Mia Stoffel's chance.
The save put SOU's Frida Vargas at the penalty line with a chance to move on. Morningside keeper Moriah Dixson guessed wrong on her strike and could only watch as it sailed into the net, just right of center.
Standley, the CCC co-goalkeeper of the year, made six saves on Morningside's 15 total shots. The Raiders got off 16 attempts and Dixson stopped nine of them.
McKean's goal was her eighth in SOU's last six games, a stretch that also included four game-winners. She put three shots on target and another off the post representing the Raiders' best first-half chance.
Grace will enter Saturday's matchup with a 15-2-4 record, fresh off a Crossroad League Tournament championship. During that run, the Lancers got past the NAIA Tournament's No. 1 overall seed, Marian (Ind.), and the No. 3 overall seed, Indiana Wesleyan. They had a bye on Thursday.
The winner will move on to Pensacola, Fla., where the rest of the tournament takes place Dec. 1-8.