WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. — The third-seeded and No. 8-ranked Lindsey Wilson women's soccer team fell to Cumberlands (Ky.) in a 5-4 penalty kick shootout in the Mid-South Conference Tournament semifinals on a rainy Wednesday at the UC Soccer Complex after regulation and two overtimes ended in a 1-1 draw.
It was a defensive battle in the first half. The Blue Raiders managed just one shot, an
Ashiat Naluggwa attempt that was blocked by the Patriots. Lindsey Wilson earned three corner kicks but could not capitalize on the chances.
Cumberlands rattled of three shots in the match's opening 34 minutes. Blue Raiders goalkeeper
Demi Serman stopped two, and a third was deflected by
Laura Castilletti for a team save. Two minutes later, a Lindsey Wilson foul in the box resulted in a penalty for Letizia Traversone, who converted and gave the Patriots a 1-0 lead they would take into halftime.
The Blue Raiders opened the second half with an aggressive attack, generating shots from Naluggwa and Castilletti in the 48th and 49th minutes. Naluggwa's attempt was saved, while Castilletti's shot went sailing over the crossbar. Cumberlands countered quickly with two chances of its own; Serman corralled the first save, and the second missed wide.
Naluggwa delivered the equalizer in the 63rd minute to knot the match at 1-1. Looking to build on the momentum, the Blue Raiders fired three shots by
Alexandra Giusti,
Camila Vieira and Naluggwa over the next 10 minutes, but came up short on those attempts.
The Patriots closed regulation with three unanswered shots in the 78th, 88th and 90th minutes. Serman collected saves on the first two, and a final strike from Cumberlands' Traversone flew over the frame in the waning seconds of regulation.
An
Ona Monserrat Baca shot that was saved and an off-target shot by Naluggwa was the only action of an uneventful first overtime period.
In the second overtime Naluggwa had shots blocked in the 104th minute and 110th minutes. In between those attempts, Patriots' Laura Bosca missed a header wide left In the 109th minute. In the final seconds of the second overtime, a scrum in front of the Lindsey Wilson goal led to a shot by Cumberlands' Evelyn Saldivar. Serman denied the last-ditch effort, sending the match into a penalty shootout.
Monserrat Baca,
Norka Fergusson, Naluggwa and Vieira all converted their penalty attempts for the Blue Raider. The Patriots matched them shot-for-shot to go 4-of-4. On the fifth round of attempts, Lindsey Wilson's
Carla Padron was unsuccessful and Cumberlands' Abigail Little responded with the game-winner.
Serman, named to the All-MSC first team Nov. 4, collected six saves, while Naluggwa, also a first-team selection on Nov. 4, paced her squad with three shots on goal.
The No. 8 Blue Raiders will await the NAIA Women's Soccer National Tournament bracket reveal on Nov. 13.
