In 2021, the Emory University women's soccer team saw its season end in heartbreaking fashion as Centre College celebrated on its home field with an overtime win in the NCAA Second Round.
Exactly one year later to the day it was the Eagles who did the celebrating, securing a berth to the Sweet 16 in front of their home fans following a remarkably dramatic penalty shootout win over the Colonels Sunday afternoon in Atlanta.
One-hundred and ten minutes of action was not enough for these two soccer rivals, as the game ended tied at 3-3 and went to penalty kicks to decide a winner. The Eagles went 4-for-5 at the penalty spot while two big misses from Centre helped Emory advance by a 4-2 margin.
The Eagles and Colonels each converted on their first attempts with senior LJ Kolodge successfully making her try before Maggie Corbett converted hers. In the second round, sophomore Chayse Corfman made it 2-for-2 for Emory while Mills Mullen, who had been a catalyst for Centre all afternoon, saw her shot drill the crossbar and go straight down and out for the miss.
With the Eagles leading 2-1, senior Kylie Hall, the unsung hero during the 2022 season, stepped to the spot and calmly converted an attempt while Erin Reynolds kept pace with her successful try. In the fourth round, senior Brooke Tylka drew woodwork for the Eagles for their first miss but freshman Sophia Garcia came through with a huge diving save on Lindsay Carr's shot, setting up a decisive fifth round.
With a win on the line, graduate student Haley Barge had her defining Emory moment to date putting her shot past the diving Centre keeper, setting up the dog pile celebration.
It will be the tenth time in program history and first time since 2013 that the Eagles will play in the round of 16 with Messiah University awaiting them in the next stage of the tournament at a site to be determined. The Eagles see their record move to 13-4-1 while Centre ends its season at 16-3-2.
In regulation, Mullen struck first for the Colonels with an unassisted tally in the 18th minute as she raced past two Emory defenders from midfield before firing a strike to the far post from the left side of the 18.
Graduate student Mara Rodriguez did not keep the Eagles down for long, scoring the equalizer in the 24th minute. Hall sent an in-swinger in from the corner, finding junior Mia Han on the far side. Han settled before lofting a pass to the center of the box where Rodriguez was able to head it home.
Tylka put the Eagles in front with her first goal of the season at the 33:07 mark with a left booted shot. Hall sent a set piece into the box where it rattled around a bit before making its way to Tylka who finished to the top right corner.
The game remained 2-1 in favor of the Eagles before Mullen notched her second goal of the game and third of the weekend to level the score at the 61:03 mark. Cara Francke sent a long shot over the Eagles defense from midfield, finding Mullen who slotted her shot past a diving Emma Miller.
With the clock dwindling down in regulation, Tylka came through with possibly the defensive play of the year with 6:30 left. A long cross to the middle deflected off Miller's fist, who had come off her line to make a play on the pass. The deflection found its way to a Centre player who got a touch on the loose ball and looked destined to put the Colonels ahead. But an all-out desperation slide from Tylka saved the ball from crossing the goal line, keeping the game tied and headed to overtime.
In the first overtime period, Alexis Kronenthal appeared to have put the dagger in the Emory faithful as she scored the go-ahead goal in the 97th minute. Mullen had a one-on-one opportunity with Miller that was stopped but Miller had ranged too far off her line to make the play, allowing Kronenthal to cash in with the rebound.
The score remained 3-2 through the end of the first 10 minutes of overtime but with new NCAA overtime rules in play, the Eagles still had 10 minutes left to save their season.
Just 1:18 into the second overtime, Han, who was the offensive stalwart with a hat trick in round one, provided the heroics with the game-tying goal. Han circled her way around several Centre defenders before powering her shot to the back of the net off the hands of the Colonel keeper.
Over the final 8:42, the Eagles did not allow a single opportunity by Centre while seeing two chances of their own including a shot on frame by freshman Nikki Grosso but neither could fall as the game went to PKs.
Emory moves to 4-2 all-time in NCAA tournament penalty shootouts with Sunday marking the first shootout for the Eagles since their 2012 postseason run.