WEST CHESTER, PA – Gannon connected on its sixth penalty kick of the series to advance visiting Gannon University to the quarterfinals of the 2023 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championshis at washed-out Rockwell Field Friday afternoon.
 
West Chester (16-3-3) and Gannon (17-4-3) played to a 1-1 draw through regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods. Then, the two sides were knotted at 4-4 after five penalty kicks. West Chester missed its sixth opportunity, while Gannon's Angela VanDamia converted her game-winning shot.
 
Gannon broke a scoreless tie in the pouring rain in the 68th minute. Brooklyn Respecki pushed a pass over to Grace Emmanuel at the top of the 6-yard box, and Emmanual got just enough of her foot on the pass while falling down to direct the ball into an open net.
 
West Chester responded nine minutes later when Allyson Cutter (Warrington, Pa./Central Bucks South) made a nice run down the far sideline and serviced a ball into the penalty area that Faith Matter (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) was able to bang home for the equalizer.
 
"I was very proud of the way we played today," West Chester head coach Betty Ann Kempf Townsley said afterwards. "Whenever we get behind, I feel like we can respond, and that's what we did today. We had a couple of chances in the overtime, but didn't finish."
 
Both teams had opportunities in the overtime, but neither was able to get that elusive goal that would have prevented the penalty kick situation.
 
Gannon advances to the quarterfinals to face Adelphi University on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Rockwell Field in West Chester. Adelphi scored the upset over The College of Saint Rose in a match that also went to penalty kicks after being tied at 1-1. The winner of that match will advance to the Division II National Semifinals in Matthews, N.C. next weekend (Dec. 7-9).