ONEONTA, N.Y. (November 4, 2017) – Senior goaltender Lindsey Mahnken of the No. 16 Stevens Institute of Technology women's soccer team turned away three PK attempts as the Ducks emerged out of a 0-0 draw with Hartwick College to earn the Empire 8's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night.

For the Ducks, it is their third-straight Empire 8 Tournament Championship and fifth in the last eight years. The Hawks are also considered co-champions this season and the match will be officially recorded as a tie. This is the first time in league history a team failed to score in the Empire 8 Tournament and won the Championship.

Mahken was named Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament after stopping a total of five shootout attempts and not allowing a goal over the two postseason matches.

"We are very happy to bring this win back home to Hoboken," said Mahnken. "I'm proud of us for fighting hard on the road in some tough conditions, and I'm blessed that this group of seniors can remember this moment in our final season. This weekend's results keep us hungry and we know that we've got things to work on before next weekend, so I am very excited for what's to come!"

How it Happened

There were no statistical inputs until the seventh minute of the match on Saturday; the two sides were like prizefighters circling each other in the ring.

The Ducks took the first five shots of the game, but Hartwick's Cassandra Robitallie made three saves to keep the game scoreless.

On the sixth shot, Gabby Pagkalinawan sent a volley toward the upper corner of the cage, but Robitallie reached up and put her fingertips on the ball to keep it out.

For the second-straight day, Stevens reached halftime in a nil-nil deadlock. The Ducks did have a 7-2 advantage in shots in the first half

At the end of regulation, Stevens had allowed just seven shots and took 15. Hartwick made six saves and Mahnken made all three she was asked to in the first 90 minutes.

In extra time, perhaps the most dangerous play came when Stevens' Julia Panko played a through ball into the box, but Robitallie raced out to break up the play at the last moment one minute into the final overtime period.

Stevens finsihed with a 19-10 edge in shots over the 110 minutes played on Saturday.

Shootout

• For the second-straight night, Stevens' fate was settled in a shootout. And for the second-straight night, Mahken started the proceedings by stoning the opposition's first shooter cold to put the Ducks in control.
• Panko snuck the first Duck attempt just inside the post to put Stevens up 1-0
• The next three shooters all made their shots, including Sammy Mount for the Ducks
• With the score tied in the 'top of the fourth', Mahnken stopped another shot to edge the Ducks ahead again
• Emily Damrell then netted the go-ahead goal, meaning Stevens just needed a save or a goal to win it in the fifth round
• For the second-straight night, Mahnken made a stop in the fifth to end it, touching off an even bigger celebration this time around. She faced 11 shots on goal during regular play during the two games and turned them all aside. In the two shootouts, she faced nine shots on goal and made an incredible five stops.
• Stevens had not scored in 141 minutes coming into today's match, and that streak now stands at 251 minutes. But more importantly, Stevens opponents have been kept off the board for 441 minutes and the Ducks have four-straight shutouts

The Ducks will await the NCAA Selection Show at 1 p.m. on Monday. They are the Empire 8's automatic qualifiers. Fans can watch the show at http://www.ncaa.com/fallselections.

Facebook: "Like" Stevens Athletics
Twitter: @stevensducks
Instagram: @stevensducks
Snapchat: ducks_athletics
#AllRise