MISENHEIMER, N.C. (Oct. 31, 2026) — The Pfeiffer women's soccer team advanced in dramatic fashion on Saturday, surviving a scoreless 110-minute battle before defeating Mary Baldwin 4-2 in a penalty shootout at Lefko-Mills Field in the first round of the USA South Women's Soccer Tournament.
The match officially ended as a 0-0 draw, but the Pfeiffer women prevailed in the shootout behind four successful conversions and a standout performance from goalkeeper
Jerusalen Gonzalez.
Gonzalez recorded a shutout and made four saves during regulation and overtime, including several key stops as Mary Baldwin outshot the Falcons 15-8 overall. She came through again in the penalty shootout, where the
Fighting Squirrels missed attempts by Alma Gonzalez-Hayes and Molly Ludwig.
The Falcons generated six shots on goal and were led offensively by
Quinn Branca, who put all three of her shots on target.
Lily Bido,
Abbie Gudino, and
Jade Watts each added shots on goal as Pfeiffer repeatedly tested the Mary Baldwin defense.
One of the game's biggest moments came in the first overtime period when Mary Baldwin was awarded a penalty kick in the 98th minute. The attempt by Lily Retana-Rodriguez was unsuccessful, helping preserve the deadlock and keeping Pfeiffer's postseason hopes alive.
After two scoreless overtime periods, Bido,
Kendall Fortson, and
Lindsey Profitt each converted their shootout attempts to give the Falcons an early advantage. Although
Ana Martinez's attempt was saved,
Austyn Grace Wolfe sealed the victory with Pfeiffer's fourth successful kick.
Mary Baldwin received six saves from goalkeepers Amelia Cross and Dakoda Kraenbring, who combined to keep the Falcons off the scoreboard through regulation and overtime. Kraenbring made four saves over the final 65 minutes and two overtime periods
