In the Big Sky Championship game, Sacramento State women’s soccer won their third consecutive playoff game decided by penalty kicks against the defending champion Idaho Vandals on Sunday.
Once again, the Hornets relied on redshirt freshman goalkeeper Sierra Sonko, this time for a chance at the Big Sky Conference title.
Sonko stepped into the box for the Hornets as Idaho’s graduate student midfielder Margo Schoesler got ready for their eighth penalty kick and trailing 6-7. They needed one goal to tie things up and continue the penalty kicks. Only Sonko was standing in their way, this shot would determine both teams’ seasons.
Schoesler struck the ball toward the left side of the net and Sonko dove to her right, knocking the ball away to win the game and claim conference title for the Hornets.
After the play, Sonko looked back at the referee to confirm the win before running to her teammates to celebrate as Big Sky Conference champions.
DOWN TO PKS @SacStateWSoccer takes the win when defeating Idaho 7-6 in a penalty kick shootout!#NCAASoccer x ESPN+pic.twitter.com/PYrEdULzIX
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) November 11, 2024
“Super excited for the team, I feel like we absolutely deserved this,” Sac State head coach Randy Dedini said. “It wasn’t something that was accidental, I feel like our girls earned this. They stayed really focused and really tight this whole trip.”
RELATED: Sac State survives nail-biter against Northern Arizona in penalty kicks
Throughout the first 90 minutes of play, it was a very defensive game and both defenses locked down the others’ offense, forcing them to take difficult shots. In the 24th minute, Idaho’s graduate student forward Jadyn Hanks faked right and took the closest shot up to that point, but Sac State sophomore goalkeeper Izzy Palmatier dove to the right to keep the game at 0-0.
The Vandals held possession most of the game, taking seven more shots in regulation. Both starting goalkeepers showed their skill with twelve saves between them.
The Hornets did not record a single shot in both overtime periods as the Vandals dominated possession and kept them on their heels defensively for most of those 20 minutes.
Palmatier had seven saves in the game and recorded the eleventh shutout of her college career.
“It’s surreal really. I have been manifesting, envisioning and working to see this team with those tournament shirts on with gold medals since before our season started,” Palmatier said. “I’m overall just so proud of my girls and I. My back line and I work so hard for those clean sheets, and we really deserved this one.”
In the Hornet’s three playoff games, they played 330 total minutes and went into penalty kicks in every game.
During the penalty kicks, eight different Hornets attempted a shot. The first kick from senior midfielder Abigail Lopez scored after it was struck right down the middle and Idaho’s redshirt freshman goalkeeper Paula Flores dove right.
Junior midfielder Madelyn Dougherty booted her attempt toward the left and went through despite Flores getting her left hand on it.
After senior defender Erika Tilford’s shot was blocked, Flores was only able to get a handful of the next shot and was denied the save against senior forward Ariana Scholten.
Redshirt senior defender Sydney Sharts, who scored the game winning penalty kick against Montana in the semifinals, sent a rocket down the middle of the net in the air as Flores dove right.
After five rounds the Hornets and Vandals were still tied, so they moved into a sudden death round. Redshirt senior midfielder Cassandra Herrman sent the ball left for their sixth penalty kick, and it was out of reach for Flores.
Sophomore forward Lexi Schroeder struck the ball through the top right of the net, too high for Flores to block despite her jumping in the correct direction.
The eighth penalty kick from sophomore midfielder Ellie Farber went over the line right down the middle after she faked right and shifted to the left of the ball before the kick.
The winning save by Sonko against Schoesler came right after Farber’s success at the mark.
“Me, being a senior, and the rest of the seniors as well, there’s been a lot of crying, a lot of tears of joy and happiness just to be able to bring home the trophy,” Lopez said. “With everyone’s support back at home too, it’s just been such a blessing to be able to be here this fall for my senior season.”
Dedini said to ESPN after the game that Palmatier wanted Sonko to fill in for penalty kicks.
“We’ve had some shootout simulations that Sierra kept saving 2-3 every single time and even Izzy was like we gotta go that way if it goes to shootouts,” Dedini said to ESPN in his postgame interview.
All the feels from @SacStateWSoccer Head Coach Randy Dedini
Put this run in the record books#ExperienceElevated pic.twitter.com/kQAaF9lCTy
— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) November 11, 2024
As Big Sky champions, the Hornets qualified for the NCAA tournament and will face the top-seeded USC Trojans in Carson, California on Sunday Nov. 17 at 2 p.m.
