NKU's Amanda Mason (4) finished the season with 19 goals.
Box score
SOMERS, Wis. – The Northern Kentucky University women's soccer team watched its season end in a penalty-kick shootout against Wisconsin-Parkside in the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament on Sunday.
NKU (17-2-2) and Wisconsin-Parkside (16-2-2) played to a 1-1 tie, but the Rangers advanced to the regional championship game after taking the penalty-kick shootout by a 4-2 score. It marked the second straight season that NKU was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in a penalty-kick shootout.
A year ago in the regional championship contest, Grand Valley State advanced on penalty kicks by a 5-4 margin after playing NKU to a scoreless tie at Denver, Colo.
NKU wasted no time in taking the lead Sunday afternoon as
Amanda Mason netted her 19th goal of the season just 2:59 into the game off an assist from
Megan Smith. Wisconsin-Parkside tied the score at 1-all at the 34:33 mark when Megan Owens found the back of the net off an assist by Crystal Chalery.
Neither team could find the net during the second half or in two overtime periods of a very physical game, forcing penalty kicks to decide which squad would advance to meet Grand Valley State in the regional championship game.
Kristi Hofmeyer and
Jeanna Goettelman both converted penalty kicks in the shootout for NKU, but Wisconsin-Parkside advanced by making four to advance.
Wisconsin-Parkside finished with an 11-7 edge in shots and an 8-7 advantage in corner kicks. NKU entered Sunday ranked 16th nationally in the NCAA Division II poll, while Wisconsin-Parkside is 15th in the poll.
NKU dropped a pair of one-goal decisions to the Rangers earlier this season, including a 3-2 heartbreaker in last week's Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament championship game. On Sept. 24, Wisconsin-Parkside also pulled out a 2-1 overtime decision against NKU at Wood Road Field.
