Emily Herlihy buried the decisive penalty kick Wednesday to send Elmhurst University women's soccer to its first-ever CCIW Tournament championship match.
The Bluejays edged Carroll 5-4 in a shootout at Langhorst Field after 110 scoreless minutes, according to Elmhurst University Athletics. The program had never reached the title game since the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament began in 2002.
Elmhurst (14-4-1) outshot Carroll (4-7-9) 13-1 and put nine shots on goal. Carroll goalkeeper Ava Lewandowski kept the Pioneers alive with nine saves, according to the CCIW's semifinal recap.
Ellie Muscarello hit the crossbar in the first overtime. Goalkeeper Erin Fitzharris saved Carroll's only shot in the second overtime, but the match went to penalties.
The Bluejays made a tactical switch, inserting Sequoia Ross in goal for the shootout despite Fitzharris's shutout through 110 minutes. It paid off immediately. Ross saved Carroll's opening attempt, and Kelli Coughlin and Nora Simon converted to give Elmhurst a 2-1 lead.
Carroll tied it in the third round after Calli Edwards missed. The Pioneers then converted to go ahead 3-2. Fitzharris stepped out of goal to take a penalty kick herself, tying it at 3-3. Courtney Conlon matched Carroll's fifth-round goal to force sudden death at 4-4.
A miss there would have ended Elmhurst's season.
Ross made her second save of the shootout in the sixth round. Herlihy stepped up and converted to clinch the 5-4 victory.
Simon, a sophomore defender from Anchorage, Alaska, earned CCIW Defensive Student-Athlete of the Year honors after anchoring a defense that led the conference with a 0.63 goals-against average. She played all 720 minutes of conference competition and recorded three goals during league play, according to the CCIW's All-Conference announcement. Fitzharris and Conlon earned All-CCIW Second Team selections, while forward Lauren Nevins made the First Team.
Elmhurst faces top-seeded North Central at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in Naperville. The winner earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
