GREENSBORO, North Carolina — Even with the match on the line, Sockers FC midfielder Isaac Odisho didn't let the pressure get to him.

Instead, Odisho delivered the shot of the day, connecting in a penalty kick shootout Sunday to give Sockers FC a 9-8 edge in PKs and the victory over FC Dallas Academy in the U15 boys semifinal at the National Premiere Leagues Finals.

Sockers FC will now face BW Gottschee Celtic in Monday's championship match at the Bryan Park Soccer Complex. BW Gottschee Celtic advanced with a 4-2 victory over Brentwood NPL-98 in Sunday's other semifinal match.

Odisho, a midfielder, was the 20th and final player to take his shot at the goal after Sockers FC and FC Dallas Academy battled to a scoreless tie over two 40-minute regulation halves and two 10-minute overtime periods.

“They had chances, we had chances – it was a very open game,” Sockers FC head coach Oleg Vatchev said. “I thought we had a better chance (Sunday) than we had (Saturday), when we tied the game (against Brentwood NPL-98).

“We know we're going to face a quality team. The most important thing now is to recover from today's game, and try to execute during the game.”

Sockers FC, which won the coin toss and opted to shoot second, and FC Dallas Academy each had their first six players connect on their penalty-kick chances.

MORE NPL FINALS COVERAGE: Day 3 Stars | Day 2 Highlights | Day 2 Top Players

Sockers FC had a chance to win the match on its seventh player after FC Dallas Academy's Christian Nunez missed low and to the right against goalkeeper Shawn Chervets. But Sockers FC's Mitchell Dorsey missed to the right on his attempt against FC Dallas Academy keeper Benjamin Hale.

Both teams made their next two attempts before Chervets – who played the first half and both overtime periods for Sockers FC – came through with his biggest save of the match, stopping Hale's low shot to the left side.

That left the match in the hands of Odisho, who caught Hale guessing on a shot to the left side by connecting into the lower-right corner of the net to give Sockers FC the match, setting off a wild celebration at midfield as he was mobbed by his teammates.

“I honestly thought we'd finish this out with our first five,” Odisho said. “But once the shots went in, we got more and more confident. We knew where we were going.

“Win or lose, I knew I had put everything out on the field today. I was so confident in myself I knew I wasn't going to miss.”

U16 GIRLS

Rio Rapids Fury 2, Oakwood SC Pride 0

Valeria Maestas scored one goal and assisted on a second, and the Fury's defense extended its run of shutout halves to advance to the U16 girls championship match.

Rio Rapids, which has now won four consecutive games by shutout at the NPL Finals, will face the N.J. Stallions Dynamite, a 5-0 winner over MFC Fire Premiere in Sunday's second semifinal.

“The belief in this group now is huge,” Fury head coach Simon Rothman said. “[Oakwood SC is] a good team, and we said at halftime 'They're going to come after us, and we're going to have to defend for our lives,' and we did.

“As I say to these guys, 'You can't always play pretty soccer; sometimes you have to protect what you have.' We were fortunate enough to score when we were good, and then we had to defend for our lives in the second half.”

Maestas, a midfielder, put Rio Rapids – playing Oakwood SC for the second time in as many days – ahead at the 15th minute of the first half, punching home Jessica Hix's crossing shot.

The Fury's defense then stepped up, with goalkeeper Dmitri Fong making two big saves – one late in the first half, the other early in the second half – to keep the Pride off the board.

Maestas then gave Rio Rapids some breathing room, setting up teammate Anika Gorham for a seven-yard chip shot past Oakwood SC keeper Victoria Richardson at the 66th minute.

In other championship matchups at the NPL Finals on Monday:

 

U13 BOYS

Raiders FC Premiere vs. PDA 2000s

Raiders FC Premiere advanced by beating FSA FC 5-3 in one semifinal, while PDA 2000s downed Real Colorado SC National 1-0 in the second semifinal.

U13 GIRLS

NEFC Elite vs. FCSC Nemeis White

NEFC Elite and FCSC Nemsis White moved into the finals by winning their semifinal matches by 1-0 scores over FC Golden State and Michigan Hawks, respectively. 

U14 BOYS

Chicago Magic PSG vs. Real Colorado SC Athletico

Chicago Magic PSG shut out One1 Academy 1-0 in the first semifinal, while Real Colorado SC Athletico advanced with a 2-0 victory over the Michigan Wolves in the second semifinal.

U14 GIRLS

ISC Gunners A vs. NEFC Elite

ISC Gunners A edged Elite Girls Academy Maroon 1-0 in the first semifinal, while NEFC Elite blanked FC Stars NPL 3-0 in the other semifinal. 

U15 GIRLS

Carlsbad Elite Zambetti vs. Tulatin Hills United SC Onyx

Both teams advanced with identical 2-0 semifinal victories Sunday, Carlsbar Elite Zambetti over Northwest United Premier Powell and Tulatin Hills United SC Onyx against PDA Impact.

U16 BOYS

TSF Academy vs. CFC United Azul

TSF Academy edged Houston Express 3-2 in the first semfinal to advance to the championship match while CFC United Azul got past SLSG Illinois 4-3 in the second semifinal.

U17 BOYS

Placer United Gold vs. Elite SC Premiere Black

Placer United Gold and Elite SC Premiere Black advanced to the finals with identical 2-1 semifinal victories over Space Coast United and Santa Monica United Blue, respectively.

U17 GIRLS

PDA NPL vs. New York Rush Patriots

PDA NPL advanced to the finals by going 4-0 in Flight B, shutting out all four opponents, while New York Rush Patriots went 2-0-1 in Flight A.

U18 BOYS

Manhattan Paris St. Germaine vs. Cajun Soccer Club Fury

Manhattan Paris St. Germaine shut out Washington East SC Seely 1-0 in the first semifinal, while Cajun Soccer Club Fury downed Soccer Association of Columbia 3-1 in the other semifinal.

U18 GIRLS

Oakwood G8 vs. Match Fit Academy

Oakwood G8 took the round-robin bracket with a 2-0-1 record, while Match Fit Academy was second at 1-0-2.