KISSIMMEE, Fla. --- The Sabercats withstood an onslaught from a revitalized Grace Bible College Tigers during regulation of the NCCAA DII National Semifinal, but eventually fell 3-4 in a penalty kick shootout to their old region rivals.

The Basics

• Result: Sabercats 0-0 Tigers (3-4 PK)
• Venue: Austin-Tindall Regional Park
• Attendance: 102
• Sabercats: now 6-8-1, Tigers: now 14-6

How it Happened

• The Tigers piled on the pressure early, as their relentless attack kept the Sabercats in their own end for the opening 20 minutes.
• The Sabercats did create a couple of chances back-to-back midway through the second half. After Bethany Wright sent in a cross, the ball took a bizarre deflection off of a Tiger defender, skimmed the crossbar, and went out from a corner kick.
• After the following corner, Alison Hernandez fired a well-placed shot from outside the box, but the Tigers keeper did well to tip it over the crossbar.
• The Sabercats' chances would stop there for the most part, as they would rely heavily on Hannah Anderson, who had a career game in net by notching 16 saves to record a clean sheet.
• Wright would be involved in the attack again in the final minutes, but another diving save from the Tigers' keeper denied the game-winner for the Sabercats. At the end of regulation, the game remained goalless. 
• In the sudden-death overtime period that followed, Anderson kept the Sabercats alive again with eight saves over the two 10-minute halves. Penalty kicks would follow to decide the outcome of the semifinal.
• In the shootout, the finishes were sharp as over half of the spot kicks found the net. Audrey Risma, Hannah McCutcheon, and Amanda Walton all found the top-right corner, but Grace would not let the Sabercats take the advantage, as the Tigers buried each of their four opening kicks while Hernandez's second-round effort just missed the top corner. On the last kick of the game, the Tigers' keeper made a walk-off save to win the shootout, denying a well-struck Bethany Chesky penalty kick to win 4-3.

Up Next

• With the loss, the Sabercats will play in the Third-Place Game against the Randall University Saints tomorrow at 2:00 PM EST.
• You can watch the games live at this location courtesy of the Tourbeau Sports Group.