Tartans Close Season in NCAA Round of 16

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - The Carnegie Mellon University women's soccer team, ranked sixth nationally, matched up 20th-ranked Johns Hopkins University in the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship Round of 16 on Saturday, November 22, tying the Blue Jays and eventually falling in a penalty kick shootout, 4-3. The Tartans finish the year with their third consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament and a record of 16-2-1.

Freshman Tori Iatarola (West Dundee, Ill./Loyola Academy) excited the home crowd with a 30-yard shot in the 11th minute that she fired at the net from the center of the field. The University Athletic Association (UAA) Rookie of the Year took two touches to her right, squared her body to the goal, and fired a shot high and just over the outstretched hands of Sarah Benett in goal for the Blue Jays.

The goal went down as Iatarola's fifth of the year.

Johns Hopkins nearly knotted the score at 1-1 in the 34th minute when a header by Alyssa Morgan hit the bottom of the crossbar but ricochet out of the six-yard box. Standing in prime position was Alaina Arthur, but her shot attempt was pushed wide by sophomore keeper Katie Liston (Lakewood, Ohio/Montessori HS at University Circle) who dove to her left and preserved the Tartan advantage.

In the 81st minute, the Tartans nearly added to their lead but sophomore Megan Bartoshuk's (Redwood City, Calif./Sequoia) shot hit off the crossbar.

With 2:32 to play, Johns Hopkins got what they were hoping for, an equalizing goal. A corner kick by Bailey Monaco was cleared by junior Carson Quiros (Atlanta, Ga./Whitefield Academy) but the ball fell to the foot of Hope Lundberg at the top of the 18-yard box. Lundberg calmly took a shot that beat Liston through traffic to the lower left corner.

The Tartans had three shots in the first overtime period but were unable to get a shot by Benett while the Blue Jays got off one shot in the second overtime but it was high.

The penalty shootout ensued as Clara Aranguren made three saves, twice leaping to her right to stop shots by the Tartans, sending the Blue Jays to the Elite Eight with a 4-3 shootout victory.