Soccer season comes to end with shootout loss in semi-final at Oshkosh

Box Score  | UW-Oshkosh 2, UW-Stout 2 (L 4-2 shootout)

OSHKOSH (November 7, 2013) - In the scorebook, it goes down as a 2-2 tie. In the hearts of the UW-Stout women's soccer team, it is a loss, a season-ending loss, as the Blue Devils fell 4-2 in a tie-breaker Thursday at JJ Keller Field.

After Oshkosh (11-7-2) came back to tie the game in the final minute of regulation, followed by two 10-minute overtime periods, the Titans jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the shootout. 

Stout (8-9-2) did come back as Lauren Kizlik (Fr, Hammond) and Emily Ferger (Sr, Wauwatosa) both make their penalty to keep the Blue Devils in contention. But the Titans did not miss a penalty shot and when they hit their fourth shot, Stout could not catch them and the game ended more than two-and-a-half hours after it began.

After a scoreless first half, Stout jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second half. Kizlik wasted no time coming out of intermssion, nailing an unassisted shot from about 15 yards out just over a minute into the second half.

Oshkosh's Anna Beckerieg knotted the score 13 minutes later. Stout took the lead again, this time in the 81st minute on a shot by Kelly Conn (Fr, Menasha), again unassisted.

But the Titans got the equalizer with 55 seconds remaining in regulation on a Nicole Palmquist goal from inside the box.

Paige Meyer (So, Beldenville) recorded 11 saves for Stout. Katie Berkopec stopped nine shots for the Titans.

The game was the 13th shootout in WIAC tournament history, dating back to 1992. This was Stout's third shootout game. Stout won a 1996 shootout with UW-River Falls, but lost a 2009 shootout with the Falcons.

Oshkosh will meet top seeded UW-Whitewater, Saturday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. in the WIAC Championship game.