SIOUX CITY, Iowa - In dramatic fashion, the Dakota Wesleyan University women's soccer season came to a heartbreaking end on Thursday as Dakota Wesleyan was eliminated from the GPAC postseason tournament via penalty kicks versus conference foe (RV) Briar Cliff University from Faber Field in Sioux City, Iowa. After both teams each scored a second-half goal, Briar Cliff ended the match thanks to a 5-4 penalty kick advantage.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Dakota Wesleyan offensive attack generated momentum early thanks to a pair of shots on goal by Deandrea Johnson and Kamryn Harrop in the opening 20 minutes. While the score sat unbothered, Jozy Bardsley and Harrop pushed across opportunities near the middle of the period, however, it was the Briar Cliff attack controlling the momentum to close out the first half.
The Chargers (13-2-1, 10-1-1 GPAC) maintained a 19-4 advantage in shots as both teams entered the lockeroom with the score still knotted at 0-0. Isabella Gregg and the Tiger (9-8-1, 6-5-1 GPAC) defensive line managed the clean sheet in the first 45 minutes while Harrop led the Blue and Gray attack with a pair of shots.
Bardsley, a senior forward, opened the second period with a string of opportunities followed by several looks on goal by BCU, though neither team managed to find the back of the net until late in the contest.
In the 85th minute nearing desperation time, it was Harrop who found the back of the net for the first goal of the match and the Tigers held the 1-0 lead momentarily. Short lived, Briar Cliff provided the equalizer in the 86th minute bringing the score to 1-1, and the score remained so until the end of regulation.
Needing more than 90 minutes to break the tie, the first overtime produced a pair of shots by the Chargers' attack. One such shot, struck in the 100th minute, resulted in a defensive save by Gregg and the game entered a second overtime still deadlocked at 1-1.
Much like the first extra period, the second overtime witnessed just one attempt on goal by Briar Cliff along with back-to-back corner kicks by senior forward Alondra Partida. Yet, two extra periods were not enough and the match reached the final shootout.
After a defensive slugfest through 110 minutes of action, both teams opened the shootout making its first four goals of the penalty kick round. Kazia Ohayon netted the second penalty kick keeping the momentum going for the Tigers. Though, after DWU missed its fifth and final opportunity, the Chargers capitalized on their final attempt to take the 1-1 victory thanks to a 5-4 advantage in shots made.
Bardsley led Dakota Wesleyan with six shots on the afternoon as DWU recorded 10 shots and eight shots on goal.
Up Next
Head coach Clayson Glasgow and the Tigers finish the season with a second-consecutive nine-win season including a resounding 7-1-0 mark at home. The 2021 team, led by six outstanding seniors, finishes with a 9-8-1 mark and a 6-5-1 record in GPAC action.