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Penalty kicks end Orediggers season
It took a regulation 90 minutes, 20 minutes of sudden death overtime and eight rounds of penalty kicks to separate the Orediggers and the Tritons on Sunday afternoon at Auraria Field in Denver.
In the end, the UC-San Diego Tritons emerged with a 6-5 shootout win over the Colorado School of Mines and a trip to the NCAA Final Four.
Lakers Await: The Tritons (16-2-4) draw the unenviable task of facing Grand Valley State (20-1-3) on Nov. 29 in Evans, Ga. The Lakers are looking to book their fourth consecutive trip to the national championship match and add to titles won in 2009 and 2010. The Tritons lost that 2010 title match 4-0.
Sunday’s game was officially scored a 0-0 tie, leaving Mines with a mark of 18-4-2 and a 14-match unbeaten streak (12-0-2) to end the season.
On The Field: Sunday’s victory came after the two sides played an entertaining but scoreless match. Mines and UC-San Diego combined for 34 shots, 15 of them on goal, but neither side was able to beat a goalkeeper. For Mines, Jayln Yates went 110 minutes and made seven saves, while UC-San Diego’s Kelcie Brodsky also went the distance and grabbed six saves, with defenders chipping in two clearances off the line.
Ultimately, the game turned into a test of nerves as the shooters took turns sharing misses and makes through seven rounds. Knotted at 5-5 in the shootout, Aubrey Bagley missed her spot kick for Mines. Alexa Enlow then fired past Yates for the deciding goal that moved the Tritons into the Final Four of the NCAA Division II women’s soccer tournament.
Record Class: Taking part in their last game for the Orediggers were Bagley, Amy Hegarty, Dani Hering, Jelli Schira, Becca Morales and Megan Woodworth. The six finished their careers as the winningest class in school history, compiling a combined record of 65-17-11 (0.758) and a conference record of 42-12-4 (0.758).
Along with leading Mines to back-to-back RMAC Tournament Championships (2011, 2012), the group played an instrumental role in lifting the eight-year old women’s soccer program to national prominence with three quarterfinals appearances and four consecutive berths in the NCAA Tournament.
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