BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Senior goalkeeper Dayle Colpitts recorded eight saves in the run of play and then stopped three of four shots in a penalty shootout on Sunday afternoon to lift Virginia Tech team past Santa Clara 3-1 on penalty kicks and into the NCAA quarterfinals.
Freshman Murielle Tiernan opened the scoring for the Hokies in the 55th minute, when she collected a deflection, turned and buried a 20-yard shot from the left side into the top-right corner of the net.
Santa Clara equalized just nine minutes later, as Sofia Huerta scored a similar goal. Huerta collected the ball on the right side, just outside the box and fired her shot just inside the left post to make it 1-1 in the 64th minute.
In the penalty shootout, junior Kelsey Loupee and freshman Candace Cephers scored in the first three attempts, while Colpitts turned away two of Santa Clara's first three shots. After she pushed aside the Broncos' fourth attempt, Tiernan again stepped up, slamming the ball into the top of the net to give the Hokies the win.
Tech is now 18-4-3 on the season, while Santa Clara wraps up its year with a 16-4-2 record.
