CLEVELAND- Eastern University Women's Soccer saw its NCAA Tournament run end in penalty kicks this afternoon. It took eight rounds of kicks to decide a winner after the Eagles and the SUNY Cortland Dragons battled to a scoreless draw on the campus of Case Western Reserve University. Eastern Goalkeeper Alysia Goodman stopped four penalty kick attempts, but it proved not to be enough as the Eagles were unable to convert any of their final five attempts.
While both teams had chances in regulation and overtime, the Eagles (13-5-3) had more of the play throughout on the clear and breezy Indian Summer afternoon. In the 18th minute, Kelsey Doutrich nearly put the Eagles on the board with a shot to the upper corner, but Cortland keeper Pam Monnier parried the ball around the upright.
The Eagles had five first half corners and were dangerous on each of them, but the Cortland defense was up to the challenge on each. For the the match, the Eagles had nine corners to just one for Cortland.
Both teams had chances in the second half, but solid defending and goalkeeping from both sides kept the slate clean through regulation. Michelle Brown had a pair of chances go just wide in the last five minutes, and the Dragons had a pair of shots in the last three minutes. One went wide and Goodman stood her ground and stopped the other.
Cortland (12-5-3) had its best chance of the match midway through the second overtime on a transition opportunity. Goodman made the initial save, and a follow up chance missed the upright by inches.
Eastern controlled field position for the second overtime and had a tremendous chance on a corner kick in the 110th minute. A Cortland defender headed Emily Roquemore's back post header off the line to send the match to penalty kicks.
The Eagles converted their first three and Goodman stopped the second Cortland shot with a dive to her right. Monnier made a save to create a sudden victory situation. Goodman stopped the fifth Cortland kick, but the Eastern answer went off the woodwork. Goodman made two more saves to give the Eagles another two chances to put the match away, but Monnier made a stop and another kick glanced off the woodwork. Cortland's eighth kicker made her kick and Monnier guessed right on the final kick to enable the Dragons to advance to Sunday's regional final.
This is the first time in four trips to the NCAA Tournament that the Eagles did not advance to the second round.
"We have to give Cortland credit," Head Coach Dan Mouw said, "they were able to keep us from capitalizing on our chances. It is a really tough way to go out, but it is the way the game is. Alysia [Goodman] was great in the game and in PK's."
Goodman finished with eight saves prior to penalty kicks.
The loss marks the end of a career for seven seniors in the Eastern program. Bethany Engle, Kristine Zeiset, Tess Beckwith, Allison Inch, and Katie Ruth each played in three NCAA Tournaments. Carly Inch and Charlotte Laurie played in the NCAA Tournament in 2009 & 2011.
