Women's Soccer Falls In NCAA College Up On Penalty Kicks To Tennessee

Sunday, November 12

Knoxville, Tenn.

2:00 PM

Duke University

9-8-4

Tennessee (Second Round)

12-6-4

OT 1

OT 2

OT 3

Duke

Tennessee

Women's Soccer Falls In NCAA College Up On Penalty Kicks To Tennessee

11/12/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

By: Duke Sports Information

KNOXVILLE, TENN. ? Once again in an NCAA Tournament match-up between Tennessee and Duke, overtime was not enough. A penalty-kick shootout was required after the squads battled to a scoreless tie to determine who would move on in the national draw. The 23rd-ranked Lady Vols took home the 4-3 advantage in the shootout over the Blue Devils (9-8-4) to advance into the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five years.

"I thought you saw a great women's college soccer game," said Duke Head Coach Robbie Church. "It was a very high level game with end-to-end action back and forth. I thought you saw two very good goalkeepers in action who were coming up with outstanding saves. Allie Lipsher played a phenomenal game. She came up and really saved us."

Tennessee (12-6-4) got the early momentum when sophomore goalkeeper Jaimel Johnson stopped Blue Devil senior midfielder Darby Kroyer's initial shot. Junior forward Emily Redberg knocked in the first Tennessee try to put her squad on top. Duke's freshman forward Elisabeth Redmond stepped up and knocked in her shot to tie up the frame. After the next UT shot missed, Duke had the chance to keep the shootout even, but Duke sophomore defender Christie McDonald's try missed the frame. Lady Vol senior midfielder Kristen Doukakis then stepped up to the PK spot and put her chance into the net to put UT up, 2-1, after three rounds of penalty kicks.

"I think it was a huge advantage for them when Jaimel stopped that [first] penalty kick," said Duke goalkeeper Allison Lipsher. "It certainly got the momentum going a little bit. It made it a tough shootout for us. I'm really proud of everyone. We've been practicing penalty kicks and everyone came through when we needed them to. I think that was about as good as we could have done."

The teams traded scores in the fourth round, as Blue Devil senior midfielder Lauren Tippets and Lady Vol senior All-American midfielder Ali Christoph both beat the keeper. Duke kept the pressure on with its last shot, as senior midfielder Rebecca Moros scored her chance. UT sophomore forward Kylee Rossi, the Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Year, ended any doubt when her ball crossed the line to end the shootout, 4-3, to push Tennessee onto the next round.

"I'm just proud of our team," said Church. "It's been an interesting roller coaster of a year, but we have fought every game. We've had opportunities to fold, but we haven't. We have a lot of character on our team. Congratulations to the University of Tennessee for advancing, and we wish them well. It's a tough game to decide on penalty kicks, but they haven't come up with a better way of doing it. Somebody has to advance. I don't think many players could have played much longer than that."

Regulation play tilted in favor of the Lady Vols, as the Big Orange out-shot the Blue Devils, 20-9, in the first two periods. The first good opportunity for Tennessee came in the third minute, as Doukakis fired a shot from inside the penalty box. Lipsher stepped out and made a point-blank save to keep UT off the board.

The Orange and White got another chance in the 34th minute when Christoph got loose inside the box. Christoph fired, but Lipsher made an outstanding kick save to keep UT off the board. Five minutes later, Tennessee's junior defender Erica Griffin got a pair of looks off corner kicks by redshirt freshman forward Mick Imgram. Her first header was blocked by a Duke defender, while her second just went over the crossbar.

In the first half, Duke managed five shots by Redmond, Kroyer, Lorraine Quinn and two by freshman KayAnne Gummersall.

The second half started very much like the first, as Tennessee sent attack after attack on the Blue Devil goal. The 50th minute saw Redberg try to beat Lipsher near post from the right wing, but the junior netminder dove to her left for the stop. Six minutes later, a long throw-in from Lady Vol sophomore defender Sarah Van Sickle gave her teammates some chances. Redberg had her shot blocked, but Imgram was able to collect the rebound and fire. Her chance, however, hit the right post and went over the end line.

Imgram nearly scored off a direct kick in the 67th minute, setting up the shot from the right touchline about 45 yards out. She drove the ball toward goal, but it nicked the top of the crossbar and carried over the end line.

Duke got its first opportunity of the second half in the 81st minute after a corner kick. Quinn, a sophomore midfielder, had her chance miss high. The Blue Devils came back in the 85th minute with another good look. Redmond tried to push a ball past Johnson, but UT's goalkeeper was there for the stop to keep the match tied.

The Blue Devils controlled play for most of the overtime periods, getting three shots off in the first extra frame. Johnson made two stops to force a second overtime, including snuffing out a breakaway opportunity that had Quinn fire on Johnson from 10 yards out. The second started much like the first, with the ball seemingly staying in Duke's offensive third. Five shots were fired by Duke with Johnson making three saves. Duke freshman midfielder CJ Ludemann, who finished off Duke's shootout win over Louisville on Friday night, blasted a chance from the top of the penalty box that Johnson had to push over the top of the crossbar. Tennessee got one opportunity toward the end of the frame, but Rossi's try from the top of the box was corralled by Lipsher.

In the match, UT out-shot Duke, 21-17, and took a 9-7 advantage in corner kicks. Both Lipsher and Johnson topped their previous career highs in saves, as Lipsher stopped 11 shots and Johnson kept nine balls from scoring. Lipsher, who is from Honolulu, Hawaii, collected her ninth shutout of the season and 26th of her career. She will have one season remaining to break the Duke career record of 36 shutouts held by Melissa Carr, who played from 1992-95.

This is the second time the Blue Devils and Lady Vols needed penalty kicks to decide who advanced in an NCAA match, as Duke advanced, 4-2, over Tennessee in the first round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament.

Duke closes out the 2006 campaign being shutout in four straight contests, which is a new school record, but only allowed three goals during that stretch.

"We've definitely had our ups and downs," said Gummersall. "We came together for the second season and played with heart and as a team. It just hurts so much to go out this way. Tennessee played a great game. We both had our chances. We didn't finish, and neither did they. To go to a shootout hurts just so much more."

Tennessee will move on to face second-ranked North Carolina on Saturday, Nov.18 at 6:00 p.m. in Chapel Hill, N.C.

- d - u - k - e -

Tennessee Quotes

Tennessee Head Coach Angela Kelly:

“I think what you saw today was a great women's soccer game. It was back and forth, and we had our share of opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net, as did Duke. I have tremendous respect for Robbie Church and his team. They are very talented. Obviously, the objective is to win and move on, but I would rather play it out instead of going into penalty kicks. We're going to take it. I give a lot of credit to Duke. They were a huge battle for us today, and it really could have gone either way.”

On the penalty kicks:

“The game has to be decided in some way, but I would prefer to just keep playing. Take a player off the fi eld or something until one team falters and breaks. But it's the traditional way soccer has been decided, even over in the European leagues. Today, I'll take it. If we were on the other end of the stick, it would be a different story. We win and move on. I'm very pleased with that.”

On the lost to Duke in the 2001 NCAA tournament:

“We always have great games versus Duke. Back then they hadn't changed the rule so we went into double overtime and played another two periods and then penalty kicks. Duke was on the winning end of that one, so I guess there was a little bit of redemption here.”

On scoring chances in regulation time:

“We created phenomenal scoring opportunities for ourselves. I think our forward line is extremely dynamic. When we can get in behind or face up against the backline, its pretty threatening to any backline we face. Their keeper played amazing. She made an unbelievable kick-save on Ali Christoph's 1v0 with the keeper. Mick (Imgram) had a point-blank shot from six yards out. We had ample opportunities to put the game away, but that's also the game of soccer. You can outshoot a team 30-1 and lose the game. That's how vicious the game can be. You just have to survive by your will. That is what I am trying to share and teach my young ladies. There has to be a sense of fortitude and you have to have the will the win. You have to will yourself to win that 50-50 ball and will that ball across the line. It's a test of two wills, and you just have to always be sure you come out on top.”

On playing North Carolina:

“We haven't played them since the opening game of last season. We played them on turf in Topeka, Kansas. I went to school there and I have a tremendous amount of respect for their program. It was a pleasure being a part of it, but my heart is in Tennessee now. I'm definitely a Lady Vol through and through. I'm just excited to take my squad versus them. I'm not afraid to face anyone in this country. In our out-of-conference schedule we played Santa Clara, Stanford and Virginia. We challenge our girls so that when we get to this point we are going to be very well prepared. I think that we are extremely well prepared at this point, especially now that Jaimel is back, to face North Carolina.”

Jaimel Johnson, sophomore goalkeeper

On the penalty kicks:

“I think I do well under pressure. I love saving penalty kicks because the pressure isn't on me. The pressure is really on the player taking the shot. With the fi rst save, I just read her body. She went to my left, and I just went for it. I got my hand on the second one, but I knew that by saving the fi rst, that took the pressure off my players. It just gives them another opportunity to walk up to the line and put it in the back of the net. So it was defi nitely good saving the fi rst one.”

On returning to play after being injured:

“It is great to be back with my defensive line and the rest of the team as well. It wasn't really frustrating sitting on the sideline because Sarah Kitchin stepped up big time. I was there supporting her. I'm glad to be back and excited to just get back into it.”

On her strategy for handling penalty kicks:

“A lot of players won't look at the goalkeeper, but I just stare right at the player. Sometimes that is intimidating. Some players don't look up, and some do. I just watch their hips and their eyes. I watch everything that can give me a clue as to which way to react.”

Kylee Rossi, sophomore forward

“It is great. It has been really fun. This is my fi rst Sweet 16, which is pretty exciting. The team just gives it their all every single second, and we play for each other. We're hoping to take on the top team in the nation. On any given day, any team can win, and we've proved that this year in some losses. We're excited to get to North Carolina and show them what we have.

On all Tennessee's chances to score in the match:

“It is frustrating, but it's NCAA time. People's nerves are up and you have so much adrenaline. It's a lot harder than you think to put the ball in the back of the net. We just have to stick with it, and if we miss some, we just have to keep the attitude positive and get the next one.”

On her penalty kick:

“I don't stare at the goalkeeper at all. I look at the ball. I put the ball down, think about my technique and put the ball in. Some people change, depending on how the goalie moves, but I didn't change. We practiced penalty kicks in practice. I knew which way I was going beforehand. I was pretty confi dent going into this one. Jaimel took the pressure off me when she saved the fi rst one because I knew we couldn't lose. If I missed we would just keep going. I wanted to make it, but I didn't have to because we weren't going to lose at that moment in time.”