November 7, 2025
Photo by Georgia Gwinnett media team
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – No. 6 seed Dakota State (S.D.) battled through 110 minutes of regulation and double overtimes with No. 3 seed Hesston (Kan.) at Grizzly Soccer Complex, where the match officially ended in a 1-1 draw (tie). The Trojans advanced to the Continental Athletic Conference Women's Soccer semifinals round after rallying back from 2-0 deficit in the penalty kicks shootout for a 3-2 thrilling victory after making the penalty kick on the seventh attempt.
The Trojans (1-13-3 overall record) struck first behind
Nichole Corona's first-half goal and received a standout 7-save performance from goalkeeper
Sierra Verplancke.
Prior to the match,
Katie Brown received the Champions of Character award from the CAC conference for Dakota State.
How It Happened
Dakota State controlled the early flow and was rewarded in the 23rd minute, when
Nichole Corona finished her sixth goal of the season, putting DSU ahead 1–0.
Hesston (5-8-2 overall record) equalized in the second half off a close-range strike by Cecilia Solis following a setup from Rena Itoga, tying the match in the 52nd minute.
From there, the match tightened into a defensive battle. DSU held a 14–12 advantage in total shots and generated multiple looks in overtime, including two on-target attempts by Corona and
Estefania Gonzalez, but could not find a winner.
The Lurks kicked off the penalty shots with two successful kicks by Rena Itoga and Emilie Romero to give a 2-0 lead.
Clarissa Knoll made the third penalty shot on the third attempt to trim Hesston's lead to 2-1. The Trojans tied the penalty shot on the fifth attempt after Corona converted the attempt, tying at 2-2 after five attempts.
Both teams were unable to successfully convert on the sixth penalty shot. After fifth straight missed attempt by Hesston, the Trojans advanced to the conference semifinals after
Kirsten Piskorski successfully made the penalty to give DSU 3-2 edge in penalty kicks shootout.
Stat Leaders – Dakota State
Team Notes
- DSU produced 7 shots on goal and 3 corner kicks.
- Verplancke recorded multiple highlight stops, including four saves in the second period. She also stopped five consecutive penalty shot attempts.
Dakota State's inaugural season continues Sunday afternoon in the CAC semifinals versus No. 2 seed Bellevue (Neb.) at 2 p.m. (Eastern Time)/1 p.m. (Central Time). The first semifinal features No. 1 seed Georgia Gwinnett and No. 4 seed Florida National at 11 a.m. (ET)/10 a.m. (CT).
The semifinal winners advance to the championship match on Tuesday late afternoon at 4 p.m. (ET)/3 p.m. (CT).
