HARRISONBURG, Va. – The Northeastern women’s soccer will compete for the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) crown after advancing past William & Mary in penalty kicks Friday night. The Huskies and Tribe were knotted, 2-2, through two overtime periods in the conference semifinals, but NU advanced on penalty kicks, 3-1.

The Tribe grabbed an early 1-0 lead when Dani Rutter netted a goal just 2:35 into the game and W&M carried that lead into the break. The Huskies managed just one shot in the opening half, but they came out of the locker room with a new energy.

Northeastern tied the game early in the second half when Hanna Terry carried the ball from the left sideline towards the middle of the field and found a streaking Haley Sinclair up the middle. Sinclair buried the pass into the back of the net in the 55th minute.

The Huskies didn’t let off the gas and claimed a 2-1 lead just over one minute later. This time Krista Meaglia found Terry sprinting through the middle of the W&M defense, and the senior captain touched the pass just beyond the reach of Tribe goalkeeper Caroline Casey for the score.

Northeastern’s lead didn’t last long, however, as Anna Madden drilled a shot into the upper left corner from 18-yards out in the 58th minute, tying the game 2-2.

The Tribe had a good chance to grab a 3-2 lead with less than 10 minutes remaining in regulation when a corner kick went just beyond the reach of NU goalkeeper Paige Burnett, leaving the net momentarily open. W&M put a shot on goal, by Skylar LeBlanc was in good position to clear the ball off the goal line to keep the game tied, 2-2.

W&M outshot NU in regulation, 13-4, but the Huskies held a 4-2 advantage in shots through both overtimes. After advancing past Delaware in penalty kicks in the quarterfinals, the Huskies once again needed the thrill of a shootout.

Rutter lined up for the first penalty kick for W&M and drilled the crossbar. Mackenzie Dowd followed with a score to give NU a 1-0 lead. Burnett then saved the next two Tribe attempts, and Morgan Hilby scored while Shayna Blackwood’s attempt went just wide, leaving the Huskies with a 2-0 edge.

Anna Madden was able to beat Burnett in the Tribe’s fourth attempt, but Bianca Calderone sent the Huskies into the CAA finals when she drilled her attempt into the upper-right corner.

Northeastern will play the winner of James Madison and Hofstra for the CAA crown on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 1 p.m.

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