The Lady Railsplitters outshot Catawba, 29-7, but Kathleen Blake made 12 saves over the course of the match to keep the Catawba Indians' hopes alive.

 

Karina Campos scored the fourth and final penalty shot to give Lincoln Memorial its first league title in its first year of eligibility. The Lady Indians also lost in penalty kicks in last season’s tournament final. Catawba is 0-3 in matches decided in penalty kicks.

 

The Lady Railsplitters held a whopping 29-7 edge in shots, including an 11-0 advantage in overtime, but Catawba keeper Kathleen Blake turned back all 12 on goal to give the Lady Indians a chance.
 
Catawba went first in penalties. Both teams made their first attempt, but LMU keeper Denise de Resende saved the attempt by Alyssa Schoenberg. The Lady Railsplitters led 3-2, but Blake kept Catawba alive with a save off the shot of Hanna-Mari Toivonen. Carrie Wollaston made her attempt to force a final kick, which Campos converted for the title.

Campos' shot went left while Blake went right, giving the Lady Railsplitters the tournament championship.

 

The best chance to win the match before the shootout came in the 95th minute, but the shot by SAC Player of the Year Heloisa de Oliveira crashed off the crossbar.

 

Lincoln Memorial receives the South Atlantic Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship Tournament. The tournament field will be announced on Monday.

Photo courtesy of the SAC.