NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. - The Westminster College women's soccer team won its fifth Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championships in the last six years Saturday after tying Washington & Jefferson, 1-1, at home. The defending-champion Titans earned the PAC title on a penalty-kick shootout, 3-2, after both teams were tied through two overtime periods.
The Titans (14-4-3) have now qualified for the NCAA Division III Tournament for the fifth time in six years and the first time since 2005. The tournament pairings will be announced Monday. Washington & Jefferson finishes the season 9-10-3.
Freshman forward Sarah Nee (McMurray, Pa./Peters Township) scored the decisive goal in the shootout after W&J's Marie Majkut made it 2-2 on her team's fifth attempt.
The Titans' sequence of shootout attempts was senior defender Brittany McKee (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard) missing, junior Christina Adams (Hubbard, Ohio/Hubbard) converting, senior forward Mallory Bugel (Valencia, Pa./Mars) stopped by W&J goalkeeper Jackie Foltz, and senior defender Kristen Martin (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) scoring, all before Nee's clincher.
Sophomore goalkeeper Lindsey Mellott (Cortland, Ohio/Lakeview), who made five saves during the 110 minutes of regulation and overtime, stopped W&J's third shootout attempt. The Presidents missed on their first attempt, scored on their second, failed on their third and fourth, and scored on their fifth try.
Junior defender Jessi Losteter (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) sent the game to overtime for the Titans with a 76th-minute goal on assists from Adams and senior midfielder Kait Etzel-Hardman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin).
Madison Manius scored the game's first goal for W&J after the teams went scoreless for the first 68 minutes.
Westminster out-shot the Presidents, 23-13.
About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is ranked 15th among liberal arts colleges, according to the Washington Monthly 2007 Annual College Guide. Westminster is a national leader in graduation rate performance, according to U.S. News Guide to America's Best Colleges, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 366 Colleges" and "Best in the Northeast" by The Princeton Review, and was recognized by the Templeton Guide as a "Character Building College."
Nearly 1,600 undergraduate and graduate students benefit from individualized attention from dedicated faculty while choosing from 41 majors and nearly 100 organizations on the New Wilmington, Pa., campus.
