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eou wsoc
Yasmin Mookerdum
1
Eastern Oregon EOU (16-2-4)
1
Central Methodist (Mo.) CMU (22-0-1)
Eastern Oregon EOU
(16-2-4)
1
Final
1
Central Methodist (Mo.) CMU
(22-0-1)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 OT 2 F
Eastern Oregon EOU 0 1 0 0 1
Central Methodist (Mo.) CMU 0 1 0 0 1

Game Recap: Women's Soccer | | Yasmin Mookerdum, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Women’s Soccer Makes History with 2nd Consecutive PK Shootout Win

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. - The Eastern Oregon women's soccer team made program history Monday morning, advancing to the NAIA National Tournament Quarterfinals for the first time as a program, defeating unbeaten No. 4 Central Methodist University 4-3 in a penalty kick shootout in the round of 16.
 
In thrilling fashion the Mountaineers (16-2-4) won their second penalty shootout in a row in the national tournament, outscoring Central Methodist 4-3 after a 1-1 tie through regulation and two overtime periods.

Head coach Jacob Plocher had this to say on his teams historic performance, "I am so proud of the way this team battles, with the ability to respond so quickly after giving up the first goal. We don't flinch. While we didn't play our cleanest game, we were able to grind out the result. We will enjoy this moment and then get ready for our quarterfinal matchup against Marion."
 
In the penalty shootout, CMU shot first, and their first penalty taker Judith Sainz was denied by junior goalkeeper Savannah Hutchinson who saved her shot and gave EOU the early advantage. Junior Morgan Farrington stepped up to the penalty spot and easily put it past the keeper to give the Mounties the 1-0 advantage after one shooter apiece.
 
The second penalty taker for CMU converted her shot, tying the score briefly 1-1. Next came senior Nan Kiebert, however, who was no stranger to a shootout. She sent the keeper the wrong way with her shot, giving EOU the 2-1 lead with another goal.
 
Eagles Andrea Villar was the third shooter and scored her shot to once again tie the score. Camie Edgington looked to regain EOU's lead, but her shot hit the crossbar and bounced just shy of the goal line, keeping the score at 2-2 with just two shooters remaining for each squad.
 
Needing to give her team a fighting chance, Hutchinson stood tall in the goal facing CMU's fourth shooter. The junior made a diving save to her left, blocking the shot and stopping the Eagles from taking the lead in a huge swing of momentum. Up next for EOU was junior Kayla Storm and she buried her shot in the top corner to regain EOU's advantage at 3-2.
 
Keeping the Eagles hopes alive, fifth shooter Nely Martinez converted her spot kick to make the score 3-3 with one shooter left for the Mounties. With the chance to win the game for EOU, senior captain Josee Bassett faced off with the Eagles' keeper. Bassett made no mistake, sending the keeper the wrong way and EOU with a run-off victory and into the quarterfinals.

The Mountaineers reach the quarterfinals for the first time in program history after improving by at least a round in each of the last three seasons. In 2017, the Mounties were knocked out in the round of 32, followed by a trip to the top-16 in 2018.
 
After a scoreless first half it only took nine minutes for Central Methodist to take the lead in the second half. The Eagles found the back of the net through forward Anika Kallash who used her speed to fly past defenders and beat Savannah Hutchinson near post.
 
The lead was short lived, as the advantage did not dampen the Mountaineers' spirits who answered back just two minutes later thanks to a pair of freshmen. After a poor defensive clearance by CMU, Anna Hager whipped the ball back into the mix and found Erika Skindlov. Skindlov took a beautiful first touch with her left, settling the ball and buried it with her right foot to tie the game 1-1. This goal is the first ever goal scored by Eastern at the final site after being blanked in 2018.
 
Although there were plenty of goal scoring opportunities for both sides, the game remained deadlocked at 1-1, forcing the game into overtime.

Hutchinson's hands were made of glue throughout, coming up big with back-to-back saves, keeping the Eagles at bay and sending the game to a second overtime period and eventually the shootout.
 
In the first half, Central Methodist used the wind to their advantage, having the better chances of the two sides. The Eagles were unlucky not to score on several occasions, especially late in the first half when a CMU shot looked destined to go in but was saved by the goal post and bounced out.
 
In addition to two big penalty saves, Hutchinson finished the game with eight saves during regulation and overtime, a career high statistic with many high-level saves.

This is the first victory in program history at the NAIA final site and the furthest the team has gone in the tournament. EOU advances to the quarterfinals and will face No. 12 Marian, who also had a big upset in the round of 16, on Wednesday at 11 a.m. Central Time, 9 a.m. Pacific Time.
 
For more information on Eastern Oregon women's soccer, follow @EOUAthletics or visit eousports.com.
 
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Contact: Iain Dexter; 541-962-3946; idexter@eou.edu
 
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