After 110 minutes of scoreless play, the Western Kentucky soccer team defeated North Texas 4-3 on penalty kicks to advance to Saturday’s Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship game in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Senior goalkeeper Libby Stout made six saves in the game, including two saves in the shootout to send the Lady Toppers (13-6-2) to their second Sun Belt Tournament final in four years.
WKU controlled possession in the first overtime, keeping North Texas from taking a shot. Lindsay Williams had the lone shot of the period, but sent the ball over the goal and the game into a second overtime.
The Lady Toppers came close to the game winner in the second overtime, but shots by Courtney Rymer and Ali Stahlke were stopped by Jackie Kerestine in the 103rd minute. North Texas had one shot in the second overtime.
A header by Michelle Young went wide of the goal in the 108th minute, leading to a deciding penalty kick shootout for a spot in the championship game.
Stahlke, Williams, Kiersten Ottaway and Chrissy Tchoula all scored for WKU in penalty kicks, and Stout stopped the Mean Green’s final attempt to send the Lady Toppers to Saturday’s title match.
This is the third straight year that WKU has gone to penalty kicks in the Sun Belt Tournament and the first time the Lady Toppers have come out on top in the shootout.
WKU will face Florida International in the championship game at 1 p.m. Saturday at Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium.
The second-seeded Panthers defeated third-seeded Denver 3-1 in Thursday’s first semifinal. FIU and the Lady Toppers played to a scoreless draw at the WKU Soccer Complex on Oct. 7.
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