MILWAUKEE - IUPUI upset the top-seeded Milwaukee women's soccer team on penalty kicks following a 0-0 double-overtime draw Saturday evening at Engelmann Stadium in the Horizon League Tournament Championship.
 
The Panthers (16-0-4) outshot the Jaguars (14-5-3) by an overwhelming total of 33-to-9 on the night, but 17 saves by Sophia Lipka denied a championship getting decided in 110 minutes of on-field action.
 
IUPUI then advanced, 4-3, in the penalty-kick shootout.
 
It was a game of close calls for the UWM offense, which kept firing all evening. Shots came even in the extra sessions, with the Panthers recording six of the nine attempts in the overtime periods.
 
One of the best chances came as the second overtime opened, with Lourdes Onwuemeka nearly the postseason hero again just 16 seconds into the frame. Cassidy Blanchard played the first ball she touched deep down field, where Anna Smalley used one touch to find Onwuemeka free on a run to goal. A brilliant save – the theme of the night – kept the game marching on.
 
It was Onwuemeka again as regulation ticked down, running in from the left after a cross made it through the box. Lipka came charging out, deflecting the ball just enough to push it off target, with the follow-up also going wide as the 90^th minute ticked down.
 
Blanchard recorded four shots – two on frame – including a denied header on a powerful strike off a corner kick in the 69^th minute.
 
Mallory Geurts did record her 14^th shutout of the season to break the Horizon League record for the Panthers. With another strong defensive effort in front of her, she only needed to make one save. However, it was a thing of beauty, going full-extension to push a long-range blast over the cross bar with one hand in the 10^th minute.
 
Her 0.29 goals-against average also establish a new program and league record.
 
Lipka, the 2017 Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year, started making saves early and never stopped. One of the best opportunities for the Panthers came in the 35^th minute, with Lipka not in position to deny the chance. Onwuemeka sent service into the goal box, with Aubrey Krahn sliding through on the end of it with an impressive toe-poke. The result was inches high, crashing off the cross bar and back into play.
 
IUPUI, which was outshot by a total of 59-to-16 in two games on the weekend, advances to the NCAA Tournament with the penalty-kick decision, as the game officially ends in a draw to extend UWM's school-record unbeaten streak to 20.
 
In addition to the substantial 33-9 advantage in shots (17-to-1 in shots on goal), Milwaukee also had 11 of the 17 corner kicks. Onwuemeka tallied a career-high 10 shots, seven on target.
 
The Panthers, the lone remaining unbeaten team in NCAA Division I at 16-0-4, will hold out hope for an at-large bid, with the field announced Monday Nov. 6 at 3:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.
 
Horizon League 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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