SAN DIEGO – After 110 minutes ended in a 0-0 tie with No. 1 seed Azusa Pacific, Michelle Salas Viniegra saved two penalties and Dominican women's soccer converted three of their own to win 3-0 in the shootout to advance at the PacWest Soccer Championships at PLNU Soccer Field.
 
The Cougars (11-3-4, 8-2-0 PacWest) finished with 24 shots with seven on frame, while the Penguins (9-1-9, 5-1-4 PacWest) finished with 10 shots and none on goal. Salas Viniegra finished with seven saves for her seventh shutout of the season.

After several good chances for both teams in the first half, the defenses tightened up in the second with the shots coming from distance, bad angles or through a bevy of legs pushing the game into extra time. The Cougars had some dangerous chances in the second overtime as a ball in the box found its way to Anela Sandobal in the 103rd minute but Salas Viniegra made the save and the rebound attempt was blocked with Dominican taking the ball the other way to end the threat. Sandobal had one more look as a shot by Victoria Castro deflected off a defender and forward where Sandobal was one-on-one with Salas Viniegra taking a shot low near post and it glanced off the right post with 17 seconds remaining.
 
The game entered a winner-take-all shootout and Fatima Waldo Garcia started Dominican off going top left corner giving the keeper no chance at a save. Salas Viniegra dove to her left on the first shot she saw to make the save on Sandobal's attempt swinging the momentum firmly to the Penguins. Janae Schwan put her shot off the keeper's hands, then the post and finally across the goal line for Dominican to keep the pressure on APU. Salas Viniegra again made the right choice going to her right but not to far from center as she made her second save of the shootout. Tahlia Smith netted the third for the Penguins to the right side bringing up the Cougars' Sarah Goodwin who skied her attempt sending Dominican into celebration mode and into the championship.


 
The Penguins made a great run in the 19th minute as a ball ahead was headed and popped forward where Megan Clapinski tracked it down and attempted to strike the bouncing ball past the charging keeper but it sailed high. In the 23rd minute, Faith Carouse was on the receiving end of a perfect back-post cross as she made a perfectly timed run for APU to get a head on it, but it sailed high and wide as the game remained scoreless.
 
Carson Warfield lined up a Dominican shot in the 33rd minute that was deflected on the way through taking an abnormal carom but slowed enough that the keeper could collect the ball. Haley-Scott Recarte had the best look for either team in the 41st minute as a soft clearance found her foot near the penalty spot and she tried to chip it high, but Michelle Salas Viniegra made a leaping save to push the ball over the crossbar. Salas Viniegra made one more save for the Penguins with a second left smothering a breakaway attempt by Aubrey Dunaway before the buzzer.

The Penguins will face the winner of University of Hawai'i at Hilo and Point Loma in the championship game on Saturday at noon PST.