LEXINGTON, VA – The Pomona-Pitzer women's soccer team continued their NCAA Championship campaign with a penalty shootout victory over Washington & Lee on Saturday afternoon to advance to the Round of Eight.
The Sagehens played hard going into this Round of 16 game. Pomona-Pitzer made a couple of early attempts with shots from Hannah Hong at the 7' and 21' minute mark. The Sagehen defenses remained strong as Washington & Lee attempted to strike multiple times. Goalkeeper Patricia DePalma made a key save at the 17' minute mark to prevent the opposing team from gaining an edge. The momentum was maintained on the defensive end as the Generals outshot the Sagehens nine to three in the first half with four corner kick attempts to the Sagehens none. DePalma made another key save at the 43' minute mark to keep the match scoreless. Vivian Rojas Collins attempted to break past the opposing defenses at the 44' minute mark, but her shot was stopped by the Washington & Lee goalkeeper. Despite the strong efforts from all fronts, the Sagehens were unable to establish their lead in the first half and they remained in a 0-0 stalemate with Washington & Lee.
The Pomona-Pitzer defenses remained vigilant as the second half started. Goalkeeper Hadley Johnson made a save at the 47' and one at the 60' minute mark as the Sagehens maintained their strong defensive game however, Imogen Roy Jenkyn pushed to turn the tide with an attempt at the goal at the 75' minute mark. Pomona-Pitzer was unable to convert and remained stuck in the 0-0 stalemate as the game went into overtime.
The Sagehens started the first overtime period with a strong start. Hong attempted a goal at the 92' minute mark, but her shot went wide left. Zakiah Sesay followed suit and made an attempt at the 96' minute mark but was stopped by the opposing goalkeeper. The Pomona-Pitzer defenses continued their efforts when goalkeeper Johnson saved a key goal at the 99' minute mark. The score stood still at 0-0 as the game entered its second period of overtime.
The Sagehens continued their pursuits in the second period of overtime but were still unable to convert. The game then moved into a penalty kick shootout. Taylor Marshall, Sabina Peterson Rajalingam, Hong, and Rojas Collins each had shootout attempts. Both sides made their first two shots with Marshall and Peterson Rajalingam scoring for the tie. However, before Hong scored the third Sagehen goal, Johnson saved the third attempt from Generals. Both sides scored in the fourth round, but Johnson put the match away in the fifth round, saving another PK attempt which secured the victory for Pomona-Pitzer.
Up Next: With the win, the Sagehens advance to the Round of Eight in the NCAA Championships and will play Emory on November 23rd at 10 AM PST.
