EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – With its back to the wall and time running out, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's soccer team found a way to stay alive. At this time of year, there's not much else that matters.
The Blugolds are headed to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history after a dramatic comeback to defeat UW-Platteville on penalties in the Sweet 16 on Saturday. The Blugolds trailed twice in regulation but responded each time before punching their ticket to the next round of the NCAA Tournament on penalty kicks, 3-2.
"They gave it to us, especially here at home," Head Coach
Casey Holm said. "2-2, a PK shootout. Your heart goes out to them, but we're excited for ourselves in terms of getting to advance…We're just elated that we're advancing, and now we've got a lot of work to do."
Goalkeeper
Jakob Leonard (Sr. – Cottage Grove, Minn./Park) entered the match for the first time during the shootout and promptly saved two penalties. That made the difference as the Blugolds slotted home three of their four attempts from the spot to advance to the program's first-ever sectional final.
"We coined him as the best PK goalie in the country," Holm said. "And he's stood up for it."
"It's all about just knowing your role," Leonard said. "That's what I signed up for, and in the moment (I just need to) rise to the occasion."
UW-Eau Claire (17-1-5) defeated UW-Platteville once during the regular season and again in the finals of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Tournament. The Blugolds got their toughest test yet from the Pioneers in the Sweet 16.
UW-Platteville got out to an early lead after scoring in the 17th minute. The Pioneers took that advantage into halftime before the seventh-ranked Blugolds found an equalizer early in the second half.
Jacob Sampson (Sr. – McFarland, Wis.) hit a long, curling shot from outside the box that slipped through the keeper's hands and into the net to tie the match in the 50th minute.
The Pioneers responded nine minutes later, jumping back in front with a goal in the 60th minute. UW-Eau Claire didn't find another breakthrough until the dying moments of regulation.
Owen Williams (Jr. – Stevens Point, Wis.) collected a rebound inside the box and hammered it into the top right corner of the net to tie the score at 2-2 in the 88th minute.
"It feels amazing, but shout out to my teammates. They were just focusing on the details, never giving up," Williams said. "Never had a doubt that we were going to score…Just keep going all the way to that final whistle."
Neither team scored in overtime, although the Pioneers came close in the waning moments of the second period. They got a clean look at goal, but Blugold keeper
Spencer Banks (Sr. – Stevens Point, Wis.) made an athletic save to send the match to penalty kicks.
In the shootout, both keepers saved the first shots they faced. The Blugolds didn't miss again though, as
Carter Thiesfeld (Sr. – Forest Lake, Minn.), Williams and
Elijah Post (So. – Seattle, Wash./Ballard) all beat the keeper. Entering the final round of the best-of-five shootout, UW-Platteville needed to score to extend its season. Leonard denied the Pioneers with a diving save to his left, sending the Blugolds into the Elite Eight.
"Part of it was scouting report on what I've seen from them, reading them and what they do," Leonard said. "Others, it's just trying to read them. Sometimes it's just picking a side and putting all I have into jumping to that side. Sometimes it's just luck."
Whatever the formula, it worked on Saturday night.
UW-Eau Claire will face eighth-ranked Amherst College in the Elite Eight on Sunday, November 24 at Simpson Field. A trip to the Final Four is on the line. Kickoff is at 3 p.m.
"It'll be an amazing game tomorrow," Holm said. "It will be a Final Four-type match, without a doubt."
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