Milligan advances in AAC tournament via PKs at Point

WEST POINT, Ga. (November 1, 2022) – After 110 minutes of scoreless soccer, the Milligan University women's soccer team advanced in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) tournament by virtue of penalty kicks on Tuesday evening at Point.

Officially the game counts as a draw for both squads involved. Milligan moves to 4-7-3 on the year as Point ends its season 5-6-3.

Taylor Dawson, Isabella Cranford, Alex Thomas and Makenna Oiler cashed in with clutch penalty kick makes as the Buffs had an advantage all the way through as goalkeeper Lauren Davies stopped Point's first two PK attempts. Milligan went ahead 2-0 in the best-of-five penalty kick sessions and Oiler clinched the 4-3 with her make in the Buffs' final frame.

Davies made nine saves over the course of contest to earn a 110-minute shutout.

In the fifth minute, the Buffs earned a dead-center free kick just beyond the 18-yard box. Dawson aimed shot on target but the well-struck ball cleared the cross bar for a goal kick.

Milligan's only other shot attempt in the first half game in the final minute of the period. Mariah Shull played a ball up the left side to a running McKinna Murr. Murr booted a left-angled shot on goal that was saved.

Davies made three first-half saves to keep the game scoreless through 45 minutes.

Ashlen Burch navigated some traffic in the first 10 minutes of the second and powered a shot on frame, however it went directly to Point's goalie.

Davies made a pair of saves on long-range, left-angled shots by Point in the 58th and 69th minutes. The Skyhawks nearly found a goal with just under 20 minutes remaining as a ball was played beyond Milligan's back line but Davies scrambled out to snag it before Point could attempt a go-ahead shot.

In the final minute of regulation, Shelby Knight fired a shot that was deflected over the end line to earn a Buffs corner. On that corner, Alex Thomas put a high-looping shot toward the upper-right corner of the goal but it was snagged out of the air.

After a mostly uneventful overtime period, Point used a through ball to create a one-on-one opportunity and Davies made a point-blank save at the right post with under a minute to play in the first overtime. The Skyhawks earned a corner kick off the save but shot high on their attempt off the corner as time expired.

Around the midway point of the second overtime, the Skyhawks threated another through ball past Milligan's back line and again, Davies made a sliding play to prevent a game-winner. In the 106th, Davies made a stop on a low left-angled attempt from 10 yards away.

The Buffs travel to top-seeded Truett McConnell on Saturday for an AAC quarterfinal matchup at 1:00 p.m.