The University of Scranton women’s soccer team staged another thrilling comeback to force overtime, but when the two extra periods weren’t enough to decide a winner in Saturday’s Landmark Conference championship match, the Royals’ magic ran out.

Drew University captured its first Landmark Conference championship by winning a shootout, 4-3, after the two teams battled to a 1-1 draw through double overtime. The Rangers (15-3-1) earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

The match officially ends in a draw, which means Scranton (14-2-3) extended its unbeaten streak to 17 straight matches after dropping their first two matches of the season. The Royals will now wait to see if they will be awarded an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament when the field is announced on Monday, Nov. 11.

Sophomore midfielder Mel Santos (Iselin, N.J./John F. Kennedy Memorial) connected on her shootout attempt to end the fifth round and give the Rangers the title-winning moment it had been hoping for all afternoon. For 88 minutes, it looked like they’d get it in regulation.

Drew struck quickly when sophomore forward Emma Campbell (Cresskill, N.J./Cresskill) scored her third goal of the playoffs and 15th of the season in the seventh minute on a feed from Santos.

From there, Scranton kept the pressure on for the rest of the half, building a 9-2 advantage in shots. But Rangers’ senior goalkeeper Agata Dera (Wallington, N.J./Wallington) made four saves in the opening minute en route to earning most valuable player honors.

In the second half, Scranton kept the pressure on, but needed nearly the entire period to tie the match. The Royals finally found the goal it so desperately needed when sophomore defender Erin Casey (Hatfield, Pa./Gwynedd Mercy Academy) connected on a header with 1:31 remaining in regulation on a corner kick by junior midfielder Ellen Walker (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty).

Both overtimes were filled with intensity, including most of the second overtime being played deep in Rangers territory. But the Royals managed just two shots in the period, neither on goal, leading to the shootout.

Both teams missed in the opening round of the five-round shootout, then each team converted in the next three rounds. When Scranton missed to open the fifth round, it set up Santos to secure the title for Drew.

By winning the title, the Rangers avenged a 4-2 loss to Scranton in the regular season, a win that propelled the Royals to the top seed in the playoffs for the fourth straight season. They had won the previous three titles and four in the conference’s previous six years of existence.

Casey’s goal was her third of the season while Walker picked up her fourth assist for the Royals, who will be hoping for good news from the NCAA on Monday. An at-large bid would mark the 18th NCAA Tournament appearance for women’s soccer.

--ROYALS--