Ferris State Soccer Advances To GLIAC Championship Match For First Time Ever With Shootout Win

Postgame Highlights & Interview 

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's soccer team continued its storybook season as the Bulldogs advanced to the 2018 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament Championship game for the first-time ever with a thrilling finish against Saginaw Valley State on Friday (Nov. 2) night in Allendale.

The Bulldogs, who are ranked 14th nationally and seeded second in the GLIAC Tournament, battled the third-seeded Cardinals to a double-overtime scoreless deadlock in the league semifinals held on the campus of Grand Valley State University.

In a penalty kick shootout, the Bulldogs eventually earned the triumph to move into the title match against top-seeded host and nationally #1-ranked Grand Valley State on Sunday (Nov. 4) starting at 1 p.m. (ET) in Allendale.

Neither team was able to find the back of the net thru 110 scoreless minutes in the third matchup between the two league rivals this campaign. FSU's Grace Kraft went the distance in net and made seven saves on the FSU side overall while Alyssa Watts had six for the Cardinals.

In the shootout, the Bulldogs finally earned the triumph in the fifth round when Abigail Gilmore converted on the penalty kick goal to lift FSU into the title round. Both Bri Rogers and Pia Nagel also converted earlier for FSU.

Overall, Saginaw Valley State held a 19-15 edge in total shots for the outing with the Cardinals also earning nine corners to four for FSU.

The Bulldogs will battle host GVSU, which beat Ashland 3-0 in the other semifinal, on Sunday. Both teams are also expected to receive berths into the NCAA Division II Tournament with official pairings set to be announced on Monday.