CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. - The Westminster College women's soccer team eliminated undefeated Thomas More from the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) tournament in Wednesday's semifinal match at Thomas More. The fourth-seeded Titans tied the top-seeded Saints, 1-1, after two overtimes before a penalty-kick shootout was used to determine the advancing team. The Titans won the shootout, 4-2.
With the ties, Westminster is now 10-9-2 on the season and Thomas More is 14-0-4. The Titans will play in the PAC championship match Saturday at 1 p.m. at the winner of Wednesday night's other semifinal match between Grove City and Washington & Jefferson.
After a scoreless first half, Chrissy Sonderman gave Thomas More a 1-0 lead by beating Westminster senior goalkeeper Lindsay Moyer (Reading, Pa./Muhlenberg), who made six saves while facing 20 shots.
Westminster senior forward Sarah Nee (McMurray, Pa./Peters Township) tied the game on a free kick in the 80th minute.
The Titans nearly won in the first overtime when senior forward Danielle Struble (Curwensville, Pa./Curwensville) hit a post on her shot attempt.
Thomas More goalkeeper Chelsea Dietz, who entered the game in the second half, made three saves while facing 10 of the 12 Westminster shot attempts.
In the penalty-kick shootout, Westminster made all four of its attempts and Thomas More missed its first two and made its final two. The Titans with shootout goals were junior defender Hayley Ebersbacher (Chesterland, Ohio/West Geauga), junior defender Kelli Michanowicz (Duncansville, Pa./Hollidaysburg), Struble and freshman Katie Brown (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine-Richland).
There were only four rounds in the shootout because, after Brown converted the fourth kick, Thomas More could not have tied Westminster in the fifth and final round.
Westminster is seeking its sixth PAC championship, the most by any Westminster sports team since the Titans joined the conference in 2000 and became eligible for titles in 2002.
The winner of Saturday's final will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.
About Westminster College...
Founded in 1852 and related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Westminster College is a top tier liberal arts college, a national leader in graduation rate performance, and a "Great School, Great Price," according to U.S. News Best Colleges guide. Westminster ranked 38th among liberal arts colleges, according to the Washington Monthly College Guide, and is one of the most affordable national liberal arts colleges in Pennsylvania. Westminster is also honored as one of "The Best 373 Colleges" and "Best in the Northeast" by The Princeton Review, and is named to the President's Honor Roll for excellence in service learning.
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. Visit www.westminster.edu/advantage to view "Advantage: Westminster" A Strategic Plan 2010-2020.
