CLEVELAND - The No. 13 Swarthmore College women soccer team advanced past No. 6 Case Western Reserve University with a 1-1 decision in a shootout on Sunday night. The Garnet blanked the Spartans 3-0 in penalty kicks to stun the host school.

Aminah Evans, Liesel Blau and Celia Kanellakos answered the call, burying the first three penalty kicks for the Garnet. Lila Travers, who entered the game late in the second half after an injury to Dahlia Bedward, was equally as perfect. The senior rose to the occasion with one save in the shootout, while the Spartans missed wide on their other two attempts. 

Charlotte Carleton helped send the Garnet to overtime with the team's lone score in regulation. Carleton opened the scoring in the sixth minute with her fourth goal of the weekend. The junior has already surpassed her regular-season goal total in this postseason run, entering this weekend's action with three goals and exiting with seven. 

The Garnet battled in another gritty, team effort. Case Western Reserve tied the game in the 19th minute and maintained pressure with a 23-13 shot advantage. However, Swarthmore overcame an injury to its starting goalie, a red card in the second half and an intense road atmosphere to persevere and advance past the Spartans. 

The Garnet will take its postseason run to Chicago in the Round of 16, squaring off against Carleton College. The pod will be hosted by No. 7 University of Chicago, who draw No. 17 Cal Lutheran in Saturday's opener. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Garnet got off a quick start as they immediately applied pressure to the host Spartans. Swarthmore tallied the opening three shots of the game, including a goal from Carleton in the sixth minute. Ava Gizzie assisted the score as Carleton continued to be automatic with the ball on her foot. 

- Case Western Reserve began to generate some opportunities, putting the Garnet defense to the test. Bedward stopped the first attempt in the seventh minute, but allowed an equalizer in the 19th minute. The Spartans built on their momentum with a flurry of shots in the following minutes, but were turned away by Bedward and the Garnet defense. 

- Both teams exchanged blows to wrap up the opening half. Macie Mangini had a shot saved in the 30th minute, while Bedward denied another attempt in the 39th minute. Both keepers tallied three saves in an evenly-matched half. 

- In the second half, the Garnet defense was put to the test by a persistent Spartan attack. Bedward stepped up and made a couple saves as the defense withstood a few early runs from the host. 

- Gizzie got behind the Spartan defense, but narrowly sent a shot wide in the 72nd minute. Bedward made a trio of clutch saves down the stretch before exiting the game with an injury. The senior ended the evening with eight saves, including several remarkable stops in the second half. She helped send the game to overtime with a really nice save during her final moments of the match. 

- Travers was immediately called upon after entering the game off the bench on a cold, windy night. The senior made a save within seconds of entering the match to help force the game to overtime. 

- The Spartans attempted all five shots in overtime with Travers making saves on three of them. With the Garnet playing a player down, Travers kept her squad alive with a couple highlight-reel saves to get her team to the penalty shootout. 

- Swarthmore rose to the moment in the penalty shootout, burying all three of its shot attempts, while blanking its opponent. Evans set the tone by drilling the first kick, while Blau and Kanellakos followed with successful attempts. Travers made one save, while the Spartans missed wide on their other two attempts. 


GARNET LEADERS
Goals: Carleton 1
Assists: Gizzie 1
Shots: Gizzie 4
Saves: Bedward 8, Travers 4

UP NEXT
The Garnet (15-3-4) continue its magically postseason run against Carleton College in the Sweet 16, hosted by the University of Chicago. Game time is scheduled for 2:30pm EST on Saturday.