OLATHE, Kan. -- Kristine Pedersen didn't see what happened after she kicked the ball at the 122nd-minute mark in tonight's NAIA women's soccer championship match.

But her teammates let her know the moment her kick reached the back of the Azusa Pacific (Calif.) University net. They mobbed her near midfield and began a thunderous celebration over winning the 2006 NAIA women's soccer national championship at the wind-swept College Boulevard Activity Center.
Pedersen's goal gave No. 2-seeded Lindsey Wilson a 2-1 four-overtime win over No. 1 Azusa Pacific.

"I didn't even see where the ball went after I shot it," said Pedersen, a freshman forward from Vejle, Denmark. "I didn't realize that I had actually scored the goal. ... It's the most important goal I've scored, and it feels really good. ... I couldn't believe it. It was a long game, and it was very intense."

Pedersen scored her season-defining goal when she took a pass from Sashsheena Stewart and shot a laser from about 15 yards out. Her shot sailed past the out-stretched arms of Azusa Pacific goalie Jill Colfer and into the upper right corner of the goal. The goal bought an end to the third-longest women's soccer championship match the NAIA tournament's 23-year-old history.

"It was an incredible effort by all our girls," said Lindsey Wilson coach Drew Burwash, who also led LWC to the 2004 NAIA title. "We are very thin and our numbers are low because of injuries, but they found it in their hearts to keep fighting.

"We were out-played tonight, but we got the victory. And that's a tribute to their character to keep fighting. ... We talked about 'chopping wood,' and we chopped all night. We chopped all night, and that tree finally came down."

For the game, Lindsey Wilson (24-2-0) was outshot 15-9 by Azusa Pacific (21-2-0). And the Cougars drew first blood when Sarah Yoro placed the ball in the left side of the goal from the left flank at the 21:27 mark.

Lindsey Wilson tied the game at the 37:54 mark on a goal by Omolyn Davis, but neither team was able to score for almost 85 minutes. LWC's offense couldn't muster many shots in regulation time, but their defense -- which did not allow a regular-season goal since Oct. 1 and only two in the tournament -- also kept the Cougars' offense in check.

Pedersen -- whose team-leading 24th goal of the season gave the Blue Raiders the title -- almost gave Lindsey Wilson a 2-1 lead late in the first half, but her open shot sailed over the top of the cross bar.

"Of course I thought about that later during the game, that if I had put it in, we might not have been in overtime," said Pedersen, who was one of four Blue Raiders named to the All-Tounrament team. "I saved it for the second half."

Burwash said his strategy was to get the ball more often to Pedersen, who Azusa Pacific defenders keyed on throughout the game.

"I had talked to Pedersen, and she was kind of frustrated tonight because she was a lone striker against four defenders, and I said, 'You just got to keep working. We're going to get you the ball, and you're going to find an opportunity for us,' and she did," Burwash said. "She's an incredible player, and so is everyone on the team."

Lindsey Wilson's win in the title match avenged a regular-season loss to Azusa Pacific. The Blue Raiders lost 2-1 to the Cougars on Sept. 23 in the Lee (Tenn.) University Lady Flame Classic in Cleveland, Tenn.

And it appeared Azusa Pacific had beaten Lindsey Wilson again when, with less than a minute left in the first overtime, Yoro headed in what would have been the winning goal. But she was called offsides.

"We were prepared mentally in the overtime," said senior midfielder Hishamar Falconer, who was named Tournament Most Valuable Player. "Going into the overtime, I knew just it takes just one goal to win it, so that's what we concentrated on."

Lindsey Wilson was no stranger to overtime title matches. The Blue Raiders lost the 2003 national title to Westmont (Calif.) University 1-0 in seven overtimes, the most played in a woman's NAIA title match. Burwash didn't see that goal because he was talking to a player when it was scored.

But he saw this year's game-winning goal.

"I couldn't be more proud of our group, especially after all the injuries we have gone through this year," Burwash said.

In addition to Pedersen, the following Blue Raiders were named to the All-Tournament team: Falconer; freshman defender Yolanda Hamilton; and freshman goalkeeper Lisbeth Skjodt.