GRANTHAM, Pa. – Senior goalkeeper Reba Magier of the 10th-ranked Swarthmore College women's soccer team saved three consecutive penalty kicks and four total in a thrilling shootout as the Garnet (18-2-2) advanced past the Hardin-Simmons Cowgirls (19-2-2) after a hard-fought, 1-1 draw. Swarthmore is one of only eight teams remaining in the NCAA Tournament and will play sectional host Messiah College on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 1:00 p.m. for a spot in the semifinals.

Magier finished with 12 total saves as the Garnet defense limited the Cowgirls, one of the top offenses in Division III with an average of five goals per game, to one tally in the contest. The backline kept HSU leading scorers Kami Jones, Kenne Kessler, and Jordan Lara off the stat sheet with a gutsy performance in regulation and both overtime periods.

Junior Caroline Khanna provided the goal for the Garnet in the 40th minute when she knocked in a rebound right on the doorstep of the Hardin-Simmons net. Classmate Mele Johnson, who recorded an assist in last weekend's win over Catholic, set up the play  by dribbling the ball on the left wing toward the edge of the box before cutting back to unleash a ball off the crossbar for Khanna to clean up.

1ST HALF

The first half of action was contested mainly in the offensive thirds of the field with little action taking place in midfield. Swarthmore controlled the early pace of play with junior Hannah Lichtenstein registering a shot on goal in the very first minute. The Garnet followed up with a series of corner kicks and had an opportunity in the 10th minute when freshman Marin McCoy ripped a hard shot just wide of net.

Around the 24th minute, however, momentum shifted as the Cowgirls began to establish themselves on the offensive end, sending shots toward goal that were handled ably by Magier. Swarthmore turned the tide right before half and took a lead into the break behind Khanna's ninth goal of the season.

2ND HALF

McCoy continued to challenge the HSU defense in the second half and nearly gave the Garnet a 2-0 lead in the 63rd minute after receiving a Lichtenstein pass to earn a 1-on-1 with the Hardin-Simmons keeper, but the freshman's shot was just wide of the right post.

On the other end, the Cowgirls found the equalizer shortly after on a free kick that was tipped in by the head of a HSU player making a run into the box.

The back-and-forth action continued into the final minute of regulation with Magier making a clutch save on Jones' breakaway with 40 seconds remaining to preserve the draw. The Cowgirls scrambled to deliver two corner kicks in the waning minutes and failed to convert as the contest went to overtime.

OVERTIME PERIODS

Sophomore Sarah Hancock delivered a pair of dangerous free kicks in the first additional period as Swarthmore dictated the pace of play, but could not find the game-winner. Another opportunity came for the Garnet in the second overtime when a lob into the box by Cappy Pitts found its way to Lichtenstein just before it was cleared desperately by an HSU defender.

SHOOTOUT

Melissa Trofa converted, but the Garnet fell behind early in penalty kicks and faced the prospect of a 1-3 deficit as HSU's Shannon Byrd headed to the spot. Magier came up with the well-timed save and showed her versatility by burying a goal of her own immediately after. The teams traded successful penalty kicks with Sarah Krisa and Izzy Branco-Lo each converting as Hardin-Simmons needed one goal to advance. Magier made another save and then another to keep Swarthmore's title hopes alive. In the seventh round of PKs, freshman defender Yasmeen Namazie converted and Magier finished off HSU with one more denial between the pipes.