HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Elaina LaMacchia made saves on attempts in the fourth and fifth rounds of the penalty-kick shootout to send the Milwaukee women's soccer team past Northern Kentucky Saturday afternoon in the Horizon League Tournament Championship at NKU Soccer Stadium.
"Congratulations to Northern Kentucky on a great season," head coach
Troy Fabiano said. "I thought it was two teams competing extremely hard. Possession went in spurts and we just really wanted to keep possession and keep them away from the counter-attack."
Following a scoreless draw through regulation and a pair of 10-minute overtime sessions, LaMacchia – named the MVP of the tournament – played the role of hero to help the Panthers (8-1-1) advance past the top-seeded Norse (8-1-2) by a final score of 4-3 in the PK round.
"We've been there, we have the experience," Fabiano said in regards to the PK-shootout setting. "We are excited to represent the Horizon League and hopefully we can get a win and move on."
Although the game officially goes into the books as a tie, the Panthers advance with the decision to claim the Horizon League Tournament championship, and will head to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season and the 14
th time in program history.
"I give credit to everybody on our staff and in our athletic department," Fabiano said. "Especially with all of the challenges we had. To the athletic training staff and what Aaron (Haselhorst) has done for us. It's a unique situation with all of the testing and the quarantines. That's what I am most proud of our team – even with the roller-coaster ride, they were able to keep it consistent. It's great to win a championship, but to do it under these circumstances … even better."
Milwaukee ended the 110 minutes of action with large advantages in all statistical categories: 15-to-5 in total shots, 7-to-1 in shots on goal, and 6-to-2 in corner kicks, while also ending the match with 59 percent of possession overall.
The team really turned up the intensity in the second overtime, spending most of the 10 minutes on its side of midfield.
Jelena Sever had a solid free kick saved in the 104
th minute, while corner kicks in the 106
th and 110
th minutes provided quality chances for a golden goal.
Sever also had a great save made on her strong header attempt in the 69
th minute, with Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year making an impressive stop to punch the shot attempt over the crossbar.
That brought the title decision to the shootout. Following conversions by Sever in round one and
Gaby Schwartz in round two, NKU went ahead 3-2 after three full rounds.
LaMacchia came up big next, making a stop in the fourth round to draw even again after
Mackenzie Schill netted her try.
Taylor Hattori then then easily converted in round five, setting the stage for LaMacchia. She dove to her right and got an outstretched hand solidly on the attempt, setting off the celebration on the field for the Panthers in the 4-3 finale.
LaMacchia was joined on the all-tournament team by
Morgan Koerber, Hattori, and
Rachel Phillpotts.
The first 45 minutes left the teams scoreless, with the defensive battle playing out in Milwaukee's favor early. The Panthers created a handful of early chances, with
Natalie Auble forcing a pair of saves and
Haley Johnson a third over the first 15 minutes of the contest. At half, MKE held edges of 5-2 in shots, which included a 4-1 count in shots on target.
The NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Selection Show will air Monday, April 19 at 12 p.m. NCAA.com. Look for the link to the show will be on the front page of NCAA.com.
Horizon League All-Tournament Team
Elaina LaMacchia, Milwaukee (MVP)
Morgan Koerber, Milwaukee
Taylor Hattori, Milwaukee
Rachel Phillpotts, Milwaukee
Kailey Ivins, Northern Kentucky
Lindsey Meyer, Northern Kentucky
Mimi Stines, Northern Kentucky
Valentine Pursey, IUPUI
Autumn Weeks, IUPUI
Alexis Weeran, UIC
Grace Haines, UIC
