Trojans win CCAC Tournament Title in Shootout
Greg Gorham
Box Score Box Score | Season Stats
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- In what has been a wild week, the Trinity International Trojans knocked off three nationally-ranked or receiving-votes programs, on their home pitch, in eight days, with the latest earning them the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament championship. The Trojans held the top goal-scoring team in the league off the scoresheet for 110 minutes, ultimately earning the conference title on penalty kicks, 3-2.
Trinity International (13-5-3) completed upsets of Judson, No. 20 Robert Morris, and No. 14 Olivet Nazarene to earn a spot in the upcoming NAIA Tournament, and will learn who their first-round opponent will be when the field is released on Sunday.
The Trojans overcame a cold and wet afternoon, where the No. 14 Tigers (16-3-2) outshot TIU 10-3 in the first half, and 19-13 for the match. Senior goalkeeper Liz Burzynski set a new season high in the CCAC Final, making 11 saves in the win.
TIU had its best offensive run in the second half, when it outshot Olivet Nazarene 8-4, and had four shots on goal. ONU goalkeeper Sarah Vrosh, who tied Burzynski for the league lead in shutouts, each with nine, stopped all six shots on target that came from the Trojans.
After 20 minutes of extra time, the conference title was to be decided on penalties. The Tigers shot first, as Michelle Ditchfield put away the first PK for a goal. Jessica Williams answered for the Trojans, tying the score 1-1 after the first round.
Trinity International got it's break when ONU missed their second and third kicks; Samantha Yasatan gave TIU a 2-1 lead after three rounds. After both sides missed their fourth PK, ONU's Sarah Lentini tied the score at 2-2 with a goal, and one TIU kick remaining.
Freshman defender Layla Zahniser, who came on as a substitute and played just 32 of the 110 minutes on the day, scored on the fifth and final penalty, giving her team the CCAC title.
The Trojans, along with CCAC regular-season champions Robert Morris, have earned automatic bids into the upcoming NAIA National Tournament. The first round gets underway on Saturday, November 23, as the Trojans will learn who they face when the bracket is released by the NAIA national office on Monday afternoon.
