JOLIET, Ill. – In a match filled with emotional highs and lows, the University of St. Francis women's soccer team capitalized on the former with a thriller of a finish to secure a 2-1 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinal-round victory over Judson University on Wednesday night.  With just 16 seconds remaining in regulation, freshman forward Ariadne Gonzalez sent Joliet Memorial Stadium into a frenzy after successfully connecting on a quick-thinking free kick to keep the Fighting Saints' postseason alive.  With the win over No. 6 seed Judson University (5-5-8), No. 3-seeded USF improves its overall record to 9-5-5 on the year.

First Half
The first half proved to be a back-and-forth battle filled with high energy as each squad fired off five shots in the first 20 minutes of play.  The next 10 minutes saw Judson adopt more of an aggressive strategy with the Eagles' front line controlling possession and rattling off five more shots, while holding the Saints to zero attempts.  The high-energy atmosphere soon fell silent, however, in minute 33 when Judson's Kelly Leon was able to break free from the USF back line.  As Leon launched a shot toward the USF goal, junior keeper Krystal Rodriguez jumped to make the save, but the quick movement caused her knee to buckle, allowing the ball to sneak into the back of the USF net.  With the season on the line and down 1-0, the Saints turned to Kadixamayrin Mireles to step into the net to replace the injured Rodriguez.  The junior executed her responsibilities flawlessly throughout the remaining 12 minutes of the half, allowing the Saints to head into the halftime break trailing just 1-0.

Second Half
Emotions ran high at the start of the second half with 12 fouls called between the two teams as both sides showcased aggressive strategies.  After Mireles posted a save in the 47th minute, the Saints authored an offensive onslaught, registering eight shots between the 51st and 57th minutes, but to no avail.  Ten minutes later, an intercepted pass from Isabel Diez allowed the sophomore midfielder to break free into Judson's back line.  After dribbling past a defender, Diez found herself open and rocketed a missile past the Eagles' keeper to tie the score at 1-1.  The clutch goal gave the Saints life, but Judson quickly took the momentum back in the 75th minute when a breakaway saw the Eagles with an open target and numbers on their side.  JU's Maria Artaloitia fired off a shot, but a diving defender ricocheted the ball straight back to a trailing Eagle.  Mireles dove to stop the ball, but the shot deflected off her hands to Leon, who previously scored JU's first goal of the night.  With an open look at the net, Leon launched the ball towards the goal, but USF defender Emily Galvan stood in her way and blocked the shot with her body to prevent the score.  Every passing of the half minute stayed intense, but both defenses held strong with neither team budging.  As the clock ticked into the final minute of play, the Saints found themselves in a position to try for one more offensive push.  Driving towards the goal with just 20 seconds remaining, Judson made the mistake of committing an off-ball foul on the edge of the right side of the box.  As confusion mounted from the call, quick thinking and astute game awareness enlightened Gonzalez to quickly reset the ball for the free kick, resulting in Judson rushing to reorganize.  With the clock ticking down to 16 seconds, Gonzalez bent her shot perfectly into the upper left hand corner of the net past the outstretched arms of the Judson keeper to give the Saints the 2-1 lead and cause an eruption of cheers from the home team's fans.

The Saints edged out the Eagles in shot attempts on the night, 21-20, with seven USF shots being on-target.  Mia Perri led the way with six shots in total, while Gonzalez, Diez, Mia Ocana and Ixchel Pelayo each registered three.  Mireles authored the win in net for St. Francis by recording two saves in her 56 minutes of work.  Rodriguez ended her night with three saves.

Up Next
With Wednesday's victory, the Saints advance to the semifinal round of the CCAC Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 9, where they will face No. 2 seed Olivet Nazarene University.  The match will take place on the campus of ONU and is slated for a 6 pm kickoff.

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