UNOH Falls on PKs in WHAC Championship

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - The Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Championship was settled on penalty kicks Wednesday evening as the No. 5 Aquinas Saints squeezed out a victory over No. 24 UNOH 3-2 after playing an even 1-1 after 110 minutes.

The Racers went up early with Natalia Lima logging her team best eleventh goal of the season in the 9th minute. Aquinas used a corner kick to even the match in the 34th minute but it would be all defense from there. Two of the best defensive units in the country allowed just five combined shots on goal over 65 minutes of game time setting up a penalty kick shootout to decide a winner.

UNOH was stopped on their first two attempts while the Saints bagged both to go up 2-0. Sophia Eisner stepped up for the Racers and made saves on the next two keeping her team alive after Janne Frauenpreiss and Minni Laukka both notched. Everything came down to the final tries for each team but the Saints' keeper made a final save and the final attempted was converted giving them the tournament crown.

Despite the loss, UNOH holds an automatic bid to the NAIA First & Second Round that begins Thursday, November 21. The Racers will find out their site and opponent when the field is released at 2:00 PM on Saturday with the NAIA Women's Soccer Selection Show.