Box Score |  Notes

MILWAUKEE, Wis, (Nov. 11, 2007) - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's soccer team and Loyola played to a 2-2 tie in the 2007 Horizon League Championship game, but the Ramblers prevailed in a penalty kick shootout, 3-2, Sunday after noon at Engelmann Field.

Loyola (14-8-1) earned the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, while the Panthers (13-4-4) must await on word of a possible at-large berth when the pairings are announced Monday evening.

Both teams struggled through the first five rounds of the penalty kick shootout, but the Ramblers capitalized in the first sudden death round when Laura Trevillion successfully converted her attempt after a Panther miss in the top half.

"We have been historically more consistent on our penalty kicks. It's tough," Milwaukee head coach Michael Moynihan said. "There is a lot of emotion and we didn't as well as we have handled it in the past. Erin (Kane) made enough saves and we had enough opportunities in the shootout to win and we just didn't step up to it."

Milwaukee fell victim to one hit post, one miss and two saves by keeper Lauren Sommer. Meanwhile, junior Erin Kane made a save and the Ramblers hit wide once and the cross bar another time to force the sudden death round.

The Panthers appeared in the driver's seat late in the game, taking a 2-0 lead in the 64th minute. After an offensively aggressive match yielded no goals, freshman Sarah Talbert put UWM ahead 1-0 in the 60th minute. Senior Joanna Severson sent a long ball into the corner, which sophomore Louise Vraney tracked down. She beat her defender to the end line and sent a cross into the box for freshman Nicole Hirsch. Hirsch had her shot blocked by a Loyola slide tackle, but Talbert was there to kick the rebound into the goal.

Hirsch added a goal of her own less than four minutes later when her cross for freshman Heather Roadhouse deflected off a defender and into the goal.

"Hirsch and Louise came in up top and gave us a nice spark," Moynihan said. "Hirsch was really holding the ball well for us. We were up 2-nil and had plenty of chances to go up three and I think that would have ended it. We were just unable to capitalize on a bunch of those."

Horizon League Player of theYear Cynthia Morote-Ariza then brought her team back by setting up goals in the 77th and 82nd minutes to force overtime. She dribbled the ball into the box on the first score and found Alexia Murray at the far post with a cross. Then, on a 25-yard free kick from the near side, Morote-Ariza connected with Julie Colhoff to tie the game at 2-2.

"Cynthia (Morote-Ariza) did well to create the first goal. She drove and hit the ball well. Once they got that, the momentum completely shifted," Moynihan said. "We had been coasting, sitting on a two-goal lead. We were very comfortable and it seemed like it was going to be easy. To give up two goals that late in the game is very uncharacteristic for us and gave a lot of energy to them."

The opportunities came fast and furious throughout the game, with Milwaukee holding the advantage on a number of occasions. Senior Amanda Winn set up opportunities late in the first half and late in the first overtime, but headers by junior Beth Steuer and Talbert were stopped with lunging saves.

Early in the second half, UWM had flurries in the box in the 50th and 55th minutes, with numerous shots blocked. Severson then launched a shot that sailed just over the bar from 35 yards out two minutes later.

Kane finished with nine saves to preserve the tie, while Collen Dougherty stopped eight shots for Loyola. The 5-foot-6 Dougherty was then subbed out for the shootout in favor of the 5-foot-9 Sommer.

Morote-Ariza was named the Tournament MVP, while junior Sarah Teegarden, senior Pam Shipway, Winn and Roadhouse were also named to the all-tournament team. Heather Lau, Jackie Viera and Katie Heidenreich also represented the Ramblers on the team, while Carrie Twyman and Abbie Kaul of Butler and Wright State's Jess Rooma rounded out the all-tournament team.