11:42 p.m. Turn Out The Lights: So that concludes day 1 of our Conference Tournament Blog. I hope you've enjoyed it. We'll be back at this tomorrow afternoon with an entirely different set of conferences, then back at it Friday when there are like a bazillion matches (Sunday too). Thanks for reading TopDrawerSoccer.com

11:40 p.m. Aggies Win: Jordan Day comes up with the decisive save and Merritt Mathias is the 5th of 5 Aggies to convert her spot kick to send A&M to the semifinal where they will play Missouri on Friday. Immediately I think of a conversation I had with Merritt and her father Mark on a field down in Memphis for a RIII Premier League match a number of years ago. She was such a polite and thoughtful young lady, but also very driven.She has found her spot at A&M and her dad is from my old stomping ground at Toledo, so a shout out to the fam!

 

11:26 p.m. Penalties It Is: Or kicks from the spot, to be exact (no penalty was awarded, we just do penalty kicks to choose a winner). Whichever team loses here will feel they let it get away, Kansas for losing a 2-0 lead and A&M for giving up a goal with 3 seconds left in regulation to send it to OT. The Kansas goalie Stroud has been very impressive so far.

 

11;22 p.m. One Last Breath: We are down to just one match remaining, the 3-3 thriller between Kansas and Texas A&M. In truth, it's slowed down a bit in the 2nd OT and with just a couple of minutes left, penalties look likely, but this game has been full of surprises thus far.

On a melancholy note, I've been doing this of 9 1/2 hours now and seen the names of so many players I remember covering at U14 or U15. Time really does fly.

 

Tigers Stay Unbeaten!: Natalia Gomez-Junco scores early in overtime and Memphis moves to 19-0-1 on the season, avoiding a game upset bid by Tulsa. Memphis will play East Carolina in the semifinal on Friday.

Also, Texas A&M and Kansas finish the first 10-minute overtime period,still tied at 3-3.

 

10:55 p.m. KANSAS SCORES!!!!: Best game of the day by far is being played now in San Antonio. The Jayhawks were done and dusted after A&M's 3 goals in 5 minutes or so, but a last gasp Kansas attack somehow led to a goal by Ingrid Vidal with just 3 seconds remaining and we are going to overtime at 3-3!!!! 

Also, just a few minutes left in regulation at Memphis where the Tigers and Tulsa are still even at 1-1.

 

10:49 p.m. MEMPHO!: Melissa Smith draws the Tigers even with an 80th minute goal.

 

10:45 p.m. KA-BLAMMO!!!!: A&M goes 3-2 with a goal from Kelly Monogue (and some slack defending by Kansas, to be honest). Quite a comeback from the Aggies with 10 minutes to go. Tulsa still up 1-0 with 14 minutes remaining in regulation.

 

10:37 p.m. ROCK CHALK AGGIE???: Liana Salazar puts Kansas up 2-0 with a deflected drive, but then Texas A&M strikes back almost from the kickoff as Merritt Mathias finished a setup by Allie Bailey to make it 2-1. A minute later its Annie Kunz equalizing and now it's 2-2, 3 goals in about 2 minutes! Fifteen minutes left here. Hang on to your hats soccer fans!

Also - Memphis is still down 1-0 to Tulsa with 20 minutes remaining.

 

10: 26 p.m. Golden in Evanston: Minnesota makes a pair of 1st half goals (Taylor Uhl and Marissa Price) stand up and defeats Wisconsin 2-0 in the final Big Ten match of the day. The Golden Gophers will now face top-seeded Penn State in one semifinal Friday, with Illinois and Michigan State meeting in the other.

Also: Florida has defeated Georgia 2-0 on goals from Annis and Hartley and will meet Alabama in the semifinal. I suspect the Gators were hoping for a shot at some revenge against regular season SEC East winners South Carolina. It will be Tennessee and Auburn in the other semifinal Friday.

Tulsa leads undefeated Memphis 1-0 in the 60th minute on a goal from Claire Hulcer. Could another 8 seed over a 1 seed be in the works?

 

10:16 p.m.: Penalty Saved!: Kansas goalkeeper Kaitlyn Stroud goes down to stop the spot kick of Texas A&M's Kelly Monogue in the 55th minute to keep the Jayhawks up 1-0. Wisconsin has been all over Minnesota in the Big Ten 2nd half for the last 10-15 minutes, producing corner after corner, but the score remains 2-0 for the Gophers.

 

10:05 p.m. Sun Belt Sinks: The final Sun Belt quarterfinal of the day is complete, as Western Kentucky knocks off tournament hosts Middle Tennessee State  at Murfreesboro. Mallory Outerbridge scored a 1st half winner for the Hilltoppers, who will play top seeded North Texas on Friday.

Also: Tulsa and Memphis are scoreless at halftime in the C-USA, while Florida continues to lead Georgia 2-0 with just 15 minutes remaining in their SEC tilt. Minnesota has a 2-0 lead over Wisconsin with 15 minutes remaining in Evanston, and Kansas and Texas A&m have just begun the 2nd half in San Antonio, the Jayhawks leading 1-0 on a goal from Whitney Berry.

 

9:47 p.m. Sorry for some technical difficulties. Kansas is up 1-0 on Texas A&M at halftime in what would be another big upset. Florida is now up 2-0 over Georgia as Bella Hartley scored just before  the break. Minnesota continues to lead Wisconsin 2-0 in the 2nd half,

 

9:10 p.m.: Gators are Annis: Tahnai Annis that is. She scored midway through the half to put Becky Burleigh's team up by 1-0 over Georgia. Minnesota still leads 2-0 in the Big Ten over Wisconsin.  Western Kentucky and MTSU are now into the 2nd half with the Hilltoppers still leading 1-0, and Texas A&M and Kansas are underway in San Antonio, as are Memphis and Tulsa in the C-USA.

 

8:52 p.m.: Heading into the home stretch: We're in the final set of games now. Minnesota has jumped all over Wisconsin in a Big Ten quarterfinal, as Taylor Uhl and Marissa Price have scored for the Golden Gophers in the opening 14 minutes for a 2-0 lead. This is a game Wisconsin really needs to win to make the NCAA Tournament.

Georgia and Florida are scoreless after 22 minutes in the SEC. No large cocktail party in that one, and both teams should be in the Big Dance regardless.

Also, Memphis is about to kickoff with Tulsa in the C-USA while Texas A&M battles with Kansas in the Big 12. Western Kentucky Leads Middle Tennessee 1-0 at halftime in the Sun Belt.

 

8:22 p.m.: THE CRUELEST OF GAMES: That's what soccer is. Oklahoma battled Oklahoma State tough all night and looked like they might have a chance to beat their vaunted in-state rivals with a late penalty when an attacker appeared to be tripped in the box. But the penalty was not given and instead the Cowgirls executed a textbook fast break leading to a short range goal from Taylor Mathews (assisted by Megan Marchesano and Krista Lopez) with less than 3 minutes remaining, and the Sooners were eliminated, their season ending in the process. Oklahoma State will play Texas on Friday.

Also: UCF pulled a late goal back through Nocolette Radovcic, but East Carolina held on for the 2-1 quarterfinal win in C-USA. UCF should still be in the Big Dance, but again, this result will hurt someone on the bubble.

 

7:58 p.m.: ROLL TIDE ROLL! Alabama pulls off the upset of the day, defeating South Carolina 1-0 on a Molly Atherton winner and a shutout in goal from Justine Bernier. The #8 seed advances while South Carolina will await their seeding in the NCAA Tournament. Results like this one are always bad for bubble teams.

Penn State closed out their 3-0 win over Northwestern and will play the winner of Wisconsin-Minnesota.East Carolina now leads 2-0 over UCF, with Brett Thomas and Caty Butler doing the scoring for the Pirates.

 

7:34 p.m. Closest Thing to a Lull All Day: So there are still 4 games going on, but the Mountain West is done for the day and the Sun Belt is waiting for hosts Middle Tennessee State to face Western Kentucky at 8 EST. Alabama still holds on to a 1-0 lead over #1 seed Tennessee with 20 minutes remaining there, and Penn State has stretched its leads over hosts Northwestern on a well-taken penalty by former U20 WNT standout Christine Nairn. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State remain scoreless in the 2nd half. Five more full games remain to be played today and we'll keep track of all of them for you.

 

7:12 p.m. Upset in the SEC?: Alabama leads at halftime over South Carolina by a 1-0 score, with Molly Atherton providing the goal for the Crimson Tide. This an 8-seed leading a 1-seed, but of course there's plenty of time remaining.

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are scoreless near the end of the 1st half in San Antonio. Penn State continues to lead Northwestern 2-0 midway through the 2nd half in Evanston, and East Carolina leads UCF 1-0 late in the first half in Memphis.

 

6:55 p.m. Vegas and the Mean Green just finished quarterfinal wins. UNLV defeats Boise State 2-0 on goals from Katherine Orellana and Macy Jo Harrison. Kylie Wassell needed just one save for the shutout in goal. The Rebels get to face top seed New Mexico Friday on the Lobos' home field. North Texas also won 2-0, with Nikki Crocco killing the match off with an 87th minute tally, adding to the early goal from Michelle Young.

 

 

6:21 p.m. Matches Here, Matches There: Hate to admit as a true Midwesterner, but I completely missed the start of the 3rd Big Ten match. Penn State has gone up 2-0 on Northwestern with goals by Kori Chapic and Maya Hayes. Nittany Lions coach Erica Walsh told me a few weeks ago she is enamored with this team and they don't seem to be missing a beat, at least not today on the shores of Lake Michigan against the tournament host Wildcats.

Also, Alabama and South Carolina are scoreless after 20 minutes in the SEC, North Texas continues to lead Troy 1-0 with 30 minutes remaining in the 2nd half of the Sun Belt match, and East Carolina vs. UCF (C-USA) and Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State (Big 12) are approaching kickokff.

 

6:04 p.m. Hope Keeps Rice Alive!: Hope Ward that is. Her goal in the opening minute of the 2nd OT gives the Owls a 2-1 win over SMU in a C-USA quarterfinal at Memphis. The defeat will end the Mustangs season, but Rice is still in contention for an NCAA Tournament berth.

Also, North Texas leads Troy at halftime in the Sun Belt,and UNLV leads Boise State 2-0 at half in the Mountain West, with Macy Jo Harrison coming up with the 2nd tally for the Rebels.

 

5:37 p.m. Mckenzie Sauerwein is the heroine for Mizzou. She made a key save and then converted the decisive spot kick to put the Tigers into the semifinal where they will play the Texas A&M-Kansas winner.

 

Big 12 - Mizzou and Baylor are about to start PKS after ending 110 minutes at 2-2.

SEC - Tennessee has beaten Kentucky 2-1 on the winner from Chelsea Hatcher.

C-USA - Rice and SMU are going to OT after Hayley Williams scored a late equalizer for the Owls.

Sun Belt - Michelle Young has put top seed North Texas up 1-0 over Troy at 27 minutes.

Mountain West - Katherine Orellana has put UNLV up 1-0 with a 16th minute goal.

 

5:24 p.m. Chelsea Hatcher has fired Tennesse to a 2-1 lead over Kentucky. The Vols are trying to hang on with a few minutes remaining. Meanwhile, Missouri and Baylor are going to penalties in the Big 12 quarterfinal at San Antonio. Stay tuned!

 

5:11 p.m. Steph Panozzo is the woman of the hour for Illinois. The goalkeeper from British Columbia saved 2 of 4 Ohio State penalty attempts to put her team in the semifinals. Can Ohio State reach the NCAA Tournament with this loss and a #55 RPI coming in? I think they belong, but I don't get a vote.

Missouri and Baylor are still in OT, while the other games continue at 1-1.

 

5:02 p.m. OSU and Illinois go to PKs, with Missouri and Baylor now in the 1st OT. SMU leads Rice 1-0 in a must-win for both teams (25 minutes remaining) and Kentucky and Tennessee remain deadlocked at 1-1 with 25 minutes remaining as well. North Texas and Troy are now under way in the Sun Belt Conference.

 

4:58 p.m. High drama in the Big Ten and the Big 12. Baylor and Missouri now go to golden goal overtime after finishing 90 minutes knotted at 2-2. In Evanston, Ohio State and Illinois remain tied at 1-1 with just a few minutes left in the 2nd OT.

 

4:28 p.m. Dominique Richardson nails a penalty kick and Missouri has drawn even with Baylor at 2-2,which is to stay Baylor had gone up 2-1 before that. OSU-Illini in the dying throes of regulation, still even at 1-1. UK and Tennessee now at halftime, still 1-1.

 

4:15 p.m. Liz O'Reilly has scored to give Wyoming the win. Her 102nd minute strike keeps the Cowgirls alive as they will now face San Diego State Friday in what should be an excellent Mountain West semifinal. I'll look for the circumstances of the red card and try to share later.

Also - SMU leads Rice 1-0 at halftime in the CUSA. OSU vs. Illinois still 1-1 in the 2nd half, as are Missouri and Baylor. Same score for Kentucky and Tennessee, but late in the 1st half there.

 

3:58 p.m. Hard to keep up with it all, but I'm trying. Tennessee's Emily Dowd with a quick equalizer to draw the Volunteers to 1-1 against Kentucky in the SEC. Wyoming and TCU are even at 1-1 after 90 minutes and it now appears a player, not a coach, was sent off in that contest, leaving the Horned Frogs short a player for the OT. Wyoming is 10-5-4 on the season but only 162nd in the RPI. "Ouch" says the Mountain West. Top seed Denver has closed out its Sun Belt quarterfinal, beating South Alabama 2-0. 

 

3:46 p.m. Kentucky and Tennessee both look likely to make the Big Dance, but both should be sufficiently motivated in their SEC quarterfinal match now underway down in Orange Beach, as they have to each like their respective chances to win the event. Its the Wildcats off to the brighter start in the early going, as Kelsey Hunyadi continues her excellent season with a goal to put UK up 1-0.

Rice and SMU now underway in a C-USA quarterfinal, while Denver is just a few minutes away from closing out a win over South Alabama in the Sun Belt. Things are getting heated in a 1-1 Mountain West match as it looks like someone from the TCU bench was dismissed from the contest. Almost at the end of regulation in that one.

 

3:26 p.m. Fantastic goal by Illinois standout Vanessa DiBernardo on a free kick to draw Janet Rayfield's Illini even with Lori Walker's Buckeyes at 1-1 just before halftime. Denver has gone up 2-0 on a goal from Sun Belt Player of the year Kristen Hamilton. Thirty minutes remaining there. Missouri has an early goal in its Big 12 quarterfinal with Baylor. Kentucky-Tennessee about to start at the SEC tourney in Orange Beach, AL. TCU-Wyoming still even at 1-1 in the 2nd half of Mountain West quarterfinal action.

 

3:10 p.m. Sorry to say, but that loss to UTEP almost surely ends the Colorado College season, given their #68 RPI. Tough ending to a pretty good season put together by Geoff Bennett's Tigers. Ohio State may feel they need to win this game with Illinois due to their #55 RPI. OSU goalkeeper Katie Baumgartner looks to be in good form early at that game.

 

Score update in the C-USA Katie Dorman has tied it up for UTEP early in the 2nd half to make it 1-1 with Colorado College. Keep refreshing every 10-15 minutes for updates. 

 

2 p.m. - Michigan State has advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament by defeating Iowa on penalties after a scoreless draw. Spartan goalkeeper Jill Flietstra saved two PKs to push her team into the next round. Illinois vs. Ohio State up next on the shores of Lake Michigan at the Northwestern campus.

 

The other final in so far today is from the Sun Belt Conference where Florida International defeated Arkansas State 2-0 to move in to the semifinals. Denver vs. South Alabama is next on tap there in Murfreesboro, TN.

 

Also underway, Texas leads Texas Tech 1-0 in the 2nd half of a Big 12 quarterfinal, Auburn leads LSU 1-0 at halftime in an SEC quarterfinal. Tatiana Coleman scored for the Tigers in Orange Beach, Alabama. Colorado College leads UTEP 1-0 at halftime in an C-USA quarterfinals. Mountain West matches kick off a bit later. Remember to keep refreshing for updates.