The Journal

Issue date: 11/9/06 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Mariano Ulibarri Senior forward Mary Bunt sneaks home the winning penalty kick past Principia keeper Eva Post. The win sent Webster to its second straight NCAA Tournament. The Gorloks will receive a first round bye in the NCAA's and will face the winner of the University of Santa Cruz and Claremont Mudd Scripps College 1:30 p.m., Nov. 12 at Anhueser-Busch Soccer Park.

Media Credit: Max Gersh Women's soccer co-captain Katie Mannion (left) embraces Dana Vahey after their penalty kick victory over Principia in the SLIAC championship Nov. 4 at home. Vahey scored a crucial goal in the 83rd minute that sent the championship match into overtime.

The women's soccer team kept its season alive Nov. 4 when they squared off against Principia College for the Saint Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament title.

Webster defeated Principia handily in their regular season match up Oct. 7, by a score of 6-2. Freshman forward Kelsey McClure netted a hat trick for the Gorloks that day, but the second meeting between the teams was anything but a runaway.

Principia scored first when senior forward Christina Day found the back of the Gorlok net. The score remained 1-0 at halftime and into the second half until McClure put the Gorloks on the board, tying the game. The Gorloks kept the score even until halfway through the second half when Principia senior midfielder Britsy Bruland put the Panthers on top by a score of 2-1.

With the Gorlok season on the line and just under seven minutes remaining in regular time, sophomore midfielder Dana Vahey scorched the Panther net, tying the game 2-2 and sending the game into overtime.

The Gorloks and Panthers remained deadlocked throughout both overtimes. After combining for 42 shots in the first two halves, a mere two shots were taken in overtime, both by Principia.

In true storybook fashion, the game went to penalty kicks with an NCAA Tournament bid on the line. According to many of the players, the feeling throughout the Gorlok squad was indescribable.

"I do not even know how to explain what we were feeling at that point," senior forward Shaina Neiderschulte said. "Especially for the seniors."

After exchanging goals with the score tied at three goals each, senior forward Mary Bunt put the Gorloks on top when she kicked the ball by Principia sophomore goaltender Eva Post. Post also scored on Principia's third penalty kick.

On the last penalty kick of the game, Principia sophomore midfielder Jamie Furbush stared in at Gorlok sophomore goaltender Jessica Kozeny. Furbush kicked the ball just inches wide, as it struck the goal post, sending Gorlok fans into a frenzy.

"After we heard the sound of the ball hitting the post, everyone went crazy," Neiderschulte said.

With the win, the Gorloks clinched their second consecutive NCAA Tournament birth and finished the season with a 17-3-1 overall record. Bunt claimed SLIAC Tournament Most Valuable Player with a goal, an assist and a penalty kick goal.

The Gorloks' most exciting news came the morning of Nov. 6, however, when the Division III NCAA Tournament bracket was released. Initially the team was told it would be traveling to California for the first round, but was later informed that it had a first round bye and would be playing the first game with home field advantage.

"The bye was completely unexpected," Assistant Head Coach Mike Hutchinson said. "Regardless, we still need to do the basic things that we feel are important in our system."

The Gorloks will play at 1 p.m. Nov. 12 at Anheuser Busch Soccer Park, but what team they play will be determined Nov. 8 when the University of California Santa Cruz Banana Slugs and the Claremont Mudd Scripps College Stags compete for passage into the second round against the Gorloks.

UC Santa Cruz enters the tournament boasting a 15-0-3 record while Claremont has a record of 10-7-3. Claremont has a roster consisting of 12 freshmen and three seniors, while UC Santa Cruz will field 11 freshmen and one senior. UC Santa Cruz allowed just three goals the entire season.

In the same bracket as the Gorloks is the Wheaton College Thunder of Ill. Wheaton bounced the Gorloks from the first round of last year's NCAA Tournament by a score of 5-0.

"I would love to face Wheaton, but it doesn't matter," Bunt said. "We are just taking it one game at a time."

The Gorloks will not only have home field advantage but also six seniors who have played in the NCAA Tournament before.

"It does not matter who we play, we just need to execute our game plan," senior defender Jennifer McSheehy said.

A win for the Gorloks will advance the team to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. A third round appearance would be the deepest any Gorlok team has reached in women's soccer history.

"We don't want to deviate from what has made us successful," Head Coach Luigi Scire said. "We just have to go out and get the job done."

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