GALESBURG, Ill. – The late-season hot streak by the Grinnell College women's soccer team went from amazing to historical in a thrilling contest Friday.
 
The Pioneers outlasted Lake Forest College 5-3 in penalty shots, propelling them into Saturday's title contest. Third-seeded Grinnell will meet top-seeded Knox College, ranked third in the North Region, for the championship at 2 p.m. Saturday.
 
Grinnell's contest with Lake Forest was tied at 2-all after regulation and two overtimes. This was the second time this season the teams have played to a deadlock through two overtimes.
 
"This team was all-in for 110 minutes and then some," said Grinnell coach Kirsten Koester. "We controlled the 50-50 balls, especially in the air, and created some great opportunities on our set-pieces. The work rate was exceptional from everyone, and as always, we had incredible energy from our sideline. To give the seniors the gift of beating a team they never have, in the tournament no less, was so meaningful. They earned it."

The Pioneers have now strung together six games without a loss, their longest streak since 2008.
 
Saturday will mark Grinnell's first trip to the title match since 2006, and with the Pioneer men also winning, it marks the first time since 1993 that both Grinnell men and women will be playing for league championships in the same season.
 
Considering the contest is statistically considered a tie, Grinnell moves to 9-6-3 on the season and Lake Forest is 10-7-2.
 
In regulation, Lake Forest took the early lead before the senior duo of Hannah Truesdale '17 and Carolyn Silverman '17 got into the act. Each scored on penalty kicks, with Truesdale's coming in the 14th minute for her fifth goal of the year and Silverman's in the 23rd minute for her team-high ninth score.
 
Lake Forest added another goal to make it 2-all through halftime, which it stayed the rest of the way.
 
Truesdale opened the shootout on a good note with a goal, but Lake Forest responded. Michelle Thurman '19 followed with a shot into the upper right 90 before Lake Forest again scored, making it 2-all.
 
Shaina Zarkin-Scott '18 then found the right side of the goal past the diving keeper. Again, Lake Forest scored to make it 3-all. Jordan Maddaus '19 kept it up for Grinnell, booting the ball into the lower left side of the net.
 
This time keeper Regan Kasprak '19 prevented Lake Forest from scoring. Silverman calmly approached the ball and drilled it into the right side of the goal, securing the Pioneers' advancement to the championship round with a 5-3 shootout win.
 
"We spent some time preparing for PKs this week so Regan was ready, and we felt confident in our line-up," said Koester. 

Grinnell won the shots battle 12-10, with Silverman taking five and Truesdale two. Getting one each were Lauren Hurley '18, Sasha Baumann '17, Nora Sahel '17, Zarkin-Scott and Kitt Richards '18.
 
Kasprak recorded four saves at the keeper spot.
 
The winner of Saturday's title match earns the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.