GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Almost nothing got past junior goalkeeper Courtney Sullivan (Maple Glen, Pa./Gwynedd-Mercy Academy) during the Ursinus College women's soccer team's first-round Centennial Conference clash at Gettysburg last night. When it did, the crossbar was there. And when the dust settled on 110 scoreless minutes of tense postseason action, the fifth-seeded Bears had outlasted the host Bullets, 3-1, in penalty kicks and punched their first ticket to the conference semifinals since 2010. Sullivan made three diving saves in the shootout for Ursinus, whose last playoff victory also came in penalty kicks on the same field against the same team. The Bears will lock horns with top-seeded and 12^th-ranked Swarthmore on Saturday.

Ursinus (12-5-1) survived a 19-5 deficiency in shots thanks to the brilliant play of its defense and a little help from the woodwork. Gettysburg (10-2-6) twice rattled shots off the crossbar, once in the 33^rd minute and again in the first overtime period. But each time the home side came up empty, and Sullivan was there to turn away their other efforts. The junior made six saves in the first half, two in the second, and another in the second extra session to keep the Bullets off the board and force a deciding shootout.

Gettysburg began the first round of penalty kicks with a goal from Aoife Schanche, the only ball it got past Sullivan all night. Sophomore Katie Bell (Holland, Pa./Villa Joseph Marie) was first up for the Bears, and she buried her opening salvo to forge a 1-1 tie. Sullivan denied the next two Bullet offerings, and Ursinus took command when sophomore Stephanie DeAngelo (Mullica Hill, N.J./Clearview Regional) and junior Jeannie Jasinski (Hilltown, Pa./Pennridge) converted theirs. Sullivan's third diving save sent the Bears home happy.

Sullivan's shutout was her sixth of the season and the 10^th of her career. Jasinski nearly gave Ursinus a lead in the first half, but Bullets keeper Eliza Gray leaped to make a fingertip save in the 44^th minute.

Wednesday's thriller marked the third straight meeting in which the Bears and Bullets went to double overtime. The schools played to a scoreless draw in 2014, and junior Erin Farrell (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) netted a golden goal in the 104^th minute to deliver a walk-off win on September 19. Sullivan also made nine saves in that contest.   

The Bears will now take their shot at Swarthmore, which went unbeaten in Centennial Conference play and has conceded just three goals all year. Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m. at Clothier Field on Swarthmore College's campus.