Orange Beach, Ala. – This morning the Columbia College women's soccer team was back in action when they took on Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) College in the second round of the 2016 NAIA Women's Soccer National Championships. The Cougars were able to upset the Blue Raiders in penalty kicks after the game ended in a 2-2 draw and improved to 20-1-2 on the season while extending their winning streak to 12 straight games.

In the first half of the game, the Cougars came out from the opening whistle and dominated the Blue Raiders in all aspects of the match. It did not take long for Columbia College to get on the board in this one as Kelsey Mirts put the Cougars ahead just five minutes into the game. The freshman forward was able to finish off her 15^th goal of the season when she received the ball at the top of the box and dribbled around several defenders before blasting a shot across the goal and into the back of the net to give Columbia the 1-0 advantage.

Lindsey Wilson started to settle in midway through the half and created several scoring opportunities but the Cougars defense stood strong and did not let up the equalizer. Their best chance of the half came after the Blue Raiders earned a free kick from just outside of Columbia's penalty area. Shelby Austin took the kick for Lindsey Wilson and blasted a shot over the wall formed by the Cougar defenders and towards the top right corner of the net. However, just like she has all season, Flavia Rosado came up clutch and was able to dive across the goal and make an incredible save to protect the Cougars one goal lead.

Despite the Blue Raiders having most of the scoring opportunities late in the first half, Columbia College was able to pick up one more goal before the halftime break. The goal came after the Cougars worked the ball deep into the Blue Raiders half before a Lindsey Wilson defender cleared the ball away to midfield. With time running out, Yuko Shinomiya attacked the ball and hit it on the bounce from around midfield. It looked as if she was trying to just get the ball back into the Blue Raiders box but the wind caught it and it sailed over the keeper and into the back of the net for her first goal of the season. The Cougars outshot Lindsey Wilson 10-4 in the half and had five shots on target.

Lindsey Wilson came out in the second half determined to get back into the game. They started to apply heavy pressure to the Cougars defense and were finally able to find the back of the net with around 28 minutes remaining in the game. The goal came after the Blue Raiders earned a corner kick that bounced around Columbia's penalty area before finding the foot of Shelby Austin who volleyed it into the back of the net to cut the Cougars lead in half.

After the Blue Raiders were able to cut the lead in half, all of the momentum in the game swung towards their side. They attacked relentlessly at the Cougars and were finally able to tie the game at two with just over eight minutes remaining in the game. Veronica Kurtz-Martinez had the goal for the Blue Raiders after getting her foot on a low cross from Lyana Perez who made a run down the sideline before cutting it back across the mouth of the goal. Both sides exchanged scoring chances at the end of regulation but ultimately the game would enter sudden death overtime to determine which side would live to see another day.

It was clear that both teams were fatigued in overtime as several players began to cramp up on the field. Both teams had several chances to win the game but neither side was able to capitalize and the match entered penalty kicks. The Cougars and Blue Raiders each exchanged their first two penalties with Jordan Poire and Laurie Frew calmly placing their shots in the bottom corner of the goal for Columbia. It was the third penalty from Lindsey Wilson that swung the momentum in the Cougars favor as Flavia Rosado made huge back-to-back saves to give Columbia the chance to advance to their first quarterfinal appearance in program history. Taylor Hagenhoff put the Cougars ahead 3-2 after Rosado's first save and then, with the chance to win the game, Kaitlyn Tambke stepped up and ripped a low shot into the bottom left corner of the net to complete the upset over the Blue Raiders.

Flavia Rosado was in goal tonight recording four saves in regulation and overtime, and an additional two saves in the penalty kick shootout. Despite giving up her first goal since September, Rosado was on her game when it mattered most and was able to pick up her 15^th win of the season.

With the win today, the Cougars will advance to play in the quarterfinal round tomorrow afternoon in Orange Beach, Alabama. They will face the seventh seeded University of Northwestern Ohio Racers at 1:30 p.m. Northwestern Ohio comes into the game with an overall record of 20-2-1 after defeating Westmont (Calif.) College 3-1 this afternoon in Orange Beach. The Racers, just like the Cougars, rank at the top of the NAIA in several offensive and defensive categories and are led by Camilla Andersen who ranks third in the NAIA in total goals (31) and fourth in total points (69). As a team, Northwestern Ohio ranks second in total shutouts (17), third in shots on goal per game (11.770), fourth in total assists (70), and fourth in total goals (86). They are currently riding an 11 game winning streak and have not allowed a goal since early October when they fell 2-1 to Davenport (Mich.) University.

The NAIA Network – the association's official video streaming home – will broadcast all 15 matches live at the 2016 NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship final site in Orange Beach, Ala. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, allows users access to live video, statistics, and social interaction on a number of devices, including mobile. Single day passes can be purchased for $9.95, while an all-championship package is available at $29.95. For more information and to pre-register, click here.