WHITEWATER, WI. – The Pomona-Pitzer Women's Soccer team fell in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Tournament in penalty kicks to the University of Chicago on Sunday afternoon.

The Sagehens went into overtime with a 1-1 tie and fell in penalty kicks 6-5 to the Maroons to end their historic NCAA Tournament run.

"It is always tough to lose in penalty kicks but Chicago is a very good team and deserves to move on", said Head Coach Jennifer Scanlon. "We gave it everything we had and certainly made them earn it. All the coaches are really proud of this group and what we have accomplished this year. This program reached a whole new level of performance and success. To be in the final eight teams in the country is huge and we showed we can compete with top teams in other regions. It's great for our program and for SCIAC."

Pomona-Pitzer came out in the first half and immediately went on the attack and struck first in the sixth minute of the game as junior Abby Onderwyzer Gold curled in a shot just outside the edge of the box to put the Sagehens up 1-0.

Chicago played the ball down the sides of the field in the first half and forced six corners but the Sagehens successfully held off the Maroons' set pieces and went into the locker room with a 1-0 advantage.

The Sagehens held Chicago's offense quiet for 86 minutes of the game but the Maroons kept attacking hard in the final minutes of the game and found an equalizer as Hanna Watkins settled in a cross from Mia Calamari and found the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1 and force overtime.

Pomona-Pitzer ends the season 17-1-4, which is the most wins in program history, and made the deepest run in the NCAA Tournament in program history.

"A lot of credit goes to our senior class that provided tremendous leadership all season long and helped move this program forward during their four years", said Scanlon. "It's a special group that will be missed but they have set standards of excellence that our returning group is ready to strive for and continue building off of in the years ahead." 

This senior class leaves Pomona-Pitzer as the most decorated class in program history with 52 wins, two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, a SCIAC Postseason Tournament Championship and a SCIAC Regular Season Championship.