MILWAUKEE, Wisc. - While it wasn't David defeating Goliath, the IUPUI women's soccer team rode a hot goalkeeper and slayed top-seeded and undefeated Milwaukee in the 2017 Horizon League Championship match on Saturday night (Nov. 4), earning the program's first NCAA Tournament berth since 2009. IUPUI and Milwaukee played 110 scoreless minutes, forcing the decision to go to penalty kicks. Horizon League Tournament MVP Sophia Lipka, who made 17 saves in regulation, came up big in PK's, stopping the second Milwaukee attempt to keep it knotted at 1-1. 

The freshman trio of Miranda Ricks, Heily Blacha and Valentine Pursey all finished their attempts in succession before Milwaukee's final shot hit the post and rebounded back on the field. 

"I can't say enough about how proud I am of these girls," head coach Chris Johnson said. "They never give up and it has been an incredible season. It all starts with leadership and this group of captains has been second to none. Hayley, Sarah and Leia showed their grit during our spring season earlier this year and have continued to lead by example, both on and off the field."

IUPUI (14-5-3) spent the bulk of the night bending but not breaking as Milwaukee controlled possession and pace and fired liberally at Lipka. The Jaguars' sophomore keeper was up to the challenge as IUPUI was outshot 33-9 overall and 17-1 on frame. Lipka's 17 saves tied for the second-most in a game in school history.  

"This team has more heart than any team I have ever been on," Lipka said. "Every single person in this program was a part of this win and played their role perfectly. It feels amazing to play behind girls with a 'cannot' and 'will not die' attitude. We've proven that talent and athleticism only gets you so far. It's the teams with heart and determination that win championship games and we showed that tonight."

IUPUI avenged a 6-0 regular season loss against the Panthers in a match that Lipka was sidelined. 

"Tonight was about redemption. It was about heart. It was our night," senior Hayley Shelton said. "The effort on that field tonight was evident. We did all the little things right tonight. We fought for each inch and those inches added up to a victory. I couldn't be more proud of this team.

"We believed in ourselves, in each other and in the process. We did it. This feeling - nothing beats it."

Milwaukee (16-0-4) came out firing, forcing Lipka to make three saves in the opening eight-plus minutes. Junior midfielder Jessica Flores countered with a brilliant strike on frame in the tenth minute, forcing UWM goalkeeper Mallory Geurts to make an athletic stop to push the attempt over the bar. It would be hard to predict that it would be IUPUI's lone shot on goal for the night. 

The Jags caught a fortuitous bounce in the 35th minute when Aubrey Krahn stung a shot off the crossbar and back on the field of play. IUPUI seemingly escaped the first half in a scoreless tie. 

The second half opened with Lourdes Onwuemeka nearly beating Lipka with a shot in close, only to see it sail over the bar. IUPUI built some chances, but rarely got a clean look against Geurts. 

In overtime, IUPUI play started to even up as Ricks rolled a dangerous cross through the Milwaukee six-yard box in extra time, but to no avail. Pursey had her best look of the night in the 98th minute, thanks to a short Krissy Kirkhoff cross, but redirected her shot wide right of frame. Senior Beth Parks had a shot miss just wide right of target in the 106th minute and Krahn hit a laser just over the crossbar in the 108th minute. 

In PK's, things were all even after the opening round as Sarah Jacobs coolly flushed the initial try and UWM's McKaela Schmelzer matched. Round two belonged to the keepers as Geurts and Lipka both made stops to keep it even. From there, it was all freshmen and Ricks and Blacha followed with makes. Blacha, who didn't play in regulation, was a bit of a surprise selection, but made it look easy. In round five, Pursey pounded a shot into the right side of the net before UWM's Sydney Senn hit the right post on her attempts, sparking the Jaguars' celebration. 

"I want to thank Stacy Pease for helping me build this group of young ladies," Johnson said. "Without her efforts we would not have had a couple of these young ladies in our program and we would not be where we are today. I also can't say enough about how Ali [Conquest] has stepped in and helped me mold them into a tough defending group that never gives up.

"Megan Reinhardt has helped with the keepers all season and she deserves a lot of credit for the school record number of shutouts we have had this season."

Lipka notched her tenth shutout of the year and upped her save percentage to .882. She was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Kirkhoff, Pursey and Natalie McNally. Including the quarterfinals win, Pursey scored all four of the Jaguars goals while McNally was a wrecking ball along IUPUI's back line. 

IUPUI will await it's fate as the NCAA Tournament selection show will be on NCAA.com on Monday, Nov. 6 at 4:30 p.m.. Information on a watch party and other postseason information will be posted to IUPUIJags.com and the department's social media channels over the coming days. 

All-Tournament Team
Most Valuable Player: Sophia Lipka, IUPUI
Krissy Kirkhoff, IUPUI
Valentine Pursey, IUPUI
Natalie McNally, IUPUI
Lourdes Onwuemeka, Milwaukee
Kelli Swenson, Milwaukee
McKaela Schmelzer, Milwaukee
Niki Romero, Wright State
Sara Colvin, Wright State
Jessica Frey, Northern Kentucky
Samantha Duwel, Northern Kentucky

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