The Basics
Summit League Championship Semifinal Match
Score: No 4 Oral Roberts 0 (3) – No. 1 Denver 0 (2)
Record: ORU (10-9-2, 4-5-0) – Denver (11-4-4, 8-0-1)
Location: CIBER Field (Denver, Colorado)

DENVER – For the first time since 2016 the Oral Roberts women's soccer team has earned a spot in the Summit League Championship Final after advancing in penalty kicks, 3-2, over No. 1 seed Denver Saturday afternoon in Denver, Colorado.   

ORU snapped a three game losing skid to the Pioneers Saturday afternoon. Although the match will officially go down as a tie, the Golden Eagles will advance to the Summit League Final via penalty kicks as ORU out-lasted Denver, 3-2.

The defensive battled began early in the match as ORU limited Denver to just two first half shots on goal. The first came in the 12^th minute and the second in the 38^th minute. Louisa Ramsauer made the two saves and kept the score, 0-0, going into halftime.

In the second half, ORU had two shots on goal. Ava Crimmings took a shot in the 52^nd minute and Gabrielle Abbey gave herself a chance in the 66^th. The backline for the Golden Eagles continued to hold strong has the Pioneers took three shots on goal in the second half, with two consecutive shots in the 69^th and 70^th minutes. As the two teams went into overtime, the ORU defense didn't allow Denver to get a single shot off in the last 20 minutes of action. Samantha Guzman sent the lone overtime shot for ORU in the 97^th minute, but just missed.

As the two teams went into penalty kicks, it was Denver that went first. The Pioneers made their first PK to earn the advantage. Samantha See was the first Golden Eagle up and she connected with the back of the net to make it 1-1. Denver then went up 2-1 after a miss by ORU. On the Pioneers third attempt, Ramsauer made a diving save to the right to not allow the goal.

Guzman then came up and tied it, 2-2, as the teams went into their fourth penalty round. Denver then missed its fourth penalty kick wide right to give the advantage to ORU. Gabrielle Abbey's turn was next and the veteran put the Golden Eagles up 3-2, with one chance remaining for Denver. With the final shot on its way for Denver, Ramsauer made another diving save to the left to seal it for ORU, 3-2.

Quote from Head Coach Austin Risenhoover
"First give Denver a lot of credit, that's a really good team. Give our kids credit as well. We tactically changed some things, we walked through it on the board and they were all-in and bought into the plan. I am proud of our team. For them to endure what they have endured, our seniors have never been here, and now we are making a run at it. We keep paving the way for the program. We set goals at the beginning of the season that we want to be playing November 5^th, and we are playing November 5^th."

Inside the Box Score
- ORU had four total shots with two on goal in the game.
- Louisa Ramsauer played all 110 minutes and recorded five saves.
- The Golden Eagles did not have a corner kick in the contest.
- There were 34 fouls in the match and three cards were handed out.

Up Next
The Golden Eagles will travel to Omaha, Nebraska, to face the Omaha Mavericks Saturday, November 5 in the Summit League Championship Final. Kickoff time has yet to be determined.

For the latest information on ORU women's soccer, follow @ORUWSoccer on Twitter or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the ORU Athletics App in the Google Play or App Store.