The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women’s soccer team continued its heart-stopping postseason run with a 6-5 shootout victory to capture the team’s first NCAA tournament victory in its history.

The Panthers (12-4-5) and the Purdue Boilermakers (11-7-2) played to a scoreless tie in regulation, but UWM came out on top in sudden death penalty kicks, achieving its first NCAA tournament win in its fourth appearance at the tourney.

Freshman goalkeeper Erin Kane sealed the game with a diving save to her left in the seventh round of penalty kicks.

“I couldn’t read the shooter at first, but I told myself to stay and trust my instincts,” Kane said. “The credit really goes to our shooters for getting us to that point.”

In the shootout, both teams made the first four kicks before Purdue goalkeeper Lauren Mason punched Milwaukee’s fifth shot attempt over the cross bar. Kane followed it up with a fantastic save, blocking it off the right post to force sudden death penalty kicks.

Each team scored in the sixth round, bringing up a dramatic seventh round of shots.

Claire Pignet drilled a shot past Mason and Kane followed it up with her second save of the shootout, which gave the Panthers the emotional victory.

“Erin reads kickers extremely well,” said head coach Michael Moynihan. “We have a lot of confidence in her when it comes to PKs (penalty kicks).”

Milwaukee outplayed the Boilermakers for most of the physical contest. The Panthers outshot the Boilermakers 15-11 and generated more corner kicks, 5-3. Both teams were whistled for 13 penalties.

The Panthers best scoring opportunity came in the closing moments of regulation when sophomore Amanda Winn had a free kick from 25 yards out that looked like it would sneak inside the near post, but Mason made an impressive diving save.

The match was the Panthers third consecutive postseason game that was decided after regulation. In the semi-finals of the Horizon League Tournament, the Panthers defeated UW-Green Bay in double overtime. Then the Panthers clinched a NCAA Tournament birth by outlasting Detroit 4-3 in penalty kicks to win the Horizon League Tournament.

“It is our first win in the NCAA Tournament, so we are in new territory,” Moynihan said. “Men’s basketball paved the way for us last season, making it to the Sweet 16. We wanted to model ourselves after that and go as far as we could.”

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