Nov. 5, 2004

Box Score

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - All five Panthers converted penalty kicks, including four freshmen, to send the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to the championship game of the Horizon League Tournament with a 5-4 shootout win over Loyola University Friday afternoon in Indianapolis. The two teams were knotted at 0-0 after two overtimes before heading into a penalty kick shootout to determine the semifinal match winner.

"I was very impressed with the composure of our four freshman," head coach Michael Moynihan. "Each of them were confident that they could do that again. I chose our most consistant hitters, that each had the right mentality--they all wanted to do it."

Junior Elizabeth Chudy and freshmen Joanna Severson and Elizabeth McNally each converted kicks to keep the shootout tied, 3-3, heading into the fourth round. A Rambler player sent Loyola's fourth-round shot high, before freshmen Claire Pignet and Pam Shipway converted the final two rounds, respectively, to give UWM the win.

After playing 100 minutes in a scoreless tie, the Panthers came out in the second overtime and dominated the period. Despite outshooting the Ramblers 5-0 in the final overtime and not allowing Loyola to advance past midfield until 30 seconds remaining in the game, the Panthers were unable to score, sending the game into the shootout.

Senior Kerri St. Aubin was called on to make just one save on the day, a sprawled save off a 1v1, in preserving the shutout. Loyola's Emily Peick stopped nine UWM shots, while another shot was cleared out of the six yard box by a LUC defender.

The Panthers defensive corps of senior Brenda Andrews, juniors Janice McGann and Rebecca Englund, sophomore Val Cooper and freshmen Pignet and Sarah Freidel kept the workload light for St. Aubin, allowing just eight shots on the day. Milwaukee finished the game with a 22-8 advantage in shots, while also drawing the edge in corner kicks, 5-4.

"I thought Melissa Ricter had another big game in the midfield," Moynihan said. "S.A. came up with some big saves. Janice also had a big game and Becca came back with a bad ankle and gave us a great effort."

Milwaukee had a number of opportunities to end the game in regulation, most notably a shot of the far post by McNally in the 89th minute from the edge of the penalty area. She also chipped a defender in the 83rd minute but Peick took control of the ball before sophomore Taylor Powell could get a shot on goal.

"Statistically, we had the game in hand," Moynihan said. "But this is what you'd expect from a league semifinal game. Neither team went down easy."

It was the fourth time that UWM has reached penalty kicks in the Horizon League, but the first time since 1999, the third of three straight years it had happened. The team moves to 2-2 in shootouts.

With the win, the Panthers advance to the Horizon League Championship game for the seventh time in school history against the winner of Friday's second semifinal game between No. 2 Detroit and No. 6 UW-Green Bay. The title match is scheduled for Sunday at noon, local time. UWM is 3-3 all-time in league championship games, winning its last two appearances including its last chance in 2002.