MISSOULA, Mont. — After two shootout victories to start the Big Sky Conference Women's Soccer Championship, it was no surprise that the final match needed a little extra. In the end, it was redshirt freshman Sierra Sonko who made the final save in the eighth round of penalties to give Sacramento State its first conference title since 2010 with a 0-0 (7-6) win over Idaho.
 
Sonko, who did not play a minute of regulation or overtime in the three tournament matches, saved two shots from the mark on Sunday. Her final came with a dive to her right in which she was able to get enough of her left hand on to deflect straight up in the air and advanced the Hornets to the NCAA Tournament. It was Sonko who came up large as the team's goalkeeper in all three of the Hornets' shootouts during the tournament.
 
Idaho, which was the second seed in the tournament and led the Big Sky in scoring during the regular season, controlled the majority of the first half but were unable to break through. The Vandals finished the game with 22 total shots compared to nine from Sacramento State. Idaho's best opportunity came in the 26^th minute with a corner kick was cleared off the line by Ellie Farber at the far post.
 
Sacramento State had the better chance to break the scoreless contest in the second half as Cassandra Herrman and Abigail Lopez each had shots saved by Paula Flores. Herrman's initial attempt came on a free kick which was bodied by Flores before Lopez attempted to put in the rebound.
 
The teams headed to overtime where neither side was able to have a high-quality scoring opportunity in the first 10 minutes. The high-drama moment in the second overtime came with five minutes to play when the center official went to the monitor to determine if a handball was committed by the Vandals in the box that would have resulted in a Sacramento State penalty. The referee, however, did not award the PK and the game eventually headed to penalties.  
The Hornets opened the shootout with a goal from Lopez in the top center of goal which was matched by Idaho. Madelyn Dougherty was successful in the second round and had her goal equaled by Kylie Hummel. Momentum swung to the Vandals after Flores was able to make a save in the third round and Kahvayli Miller made it 3-2 with a make.
 
With their backs against the wall, Ariana Scholten made her attempt before Sonko blocked a shot to draw the Hornets even. Sydney Sharts completed Sacramento State's fifth round with a make and Annika Farley was able to continue the Idaho season with a successful attempt of her own.
 
Once in sudden death, Herrman and Karli Yoshida-Williams kept the score even with conversions in the sixth round. Lexi Schroeder and Alyssa Peters made it 6-6 before Farber put the Hornets on top with a make to begin the eighth round. That attempt set the stage for Sonko who sealed the victory with her second save of the shootout.
 
Sonko was named the Big Sky Championship MVP for her shootout performances throughout the three matches. Sonko saved two attempts in each contest for a 33 percent success rate (6-of-18). The redshirt freshman had appeared in just one match during the regular season but had impressed coaches with her ability to stop penalty attempts in the practices leading up to the tournament.
 
Along with Sonko, forward Teysha-Ray Spinney-Kuahuia, midfielder Ellie Farber, defenders Sydney Sharts and Dalen Lau and goalkeeper Izzy Palmatier were named to the all-tournament team. Sacramento State allowed two goals in the opening match against Northern Arizona but did not give up a goal in its last 243 minutes.
 
The 64-team field for the 2024 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament will be announced on Monday, Nov. 11, at 1 p.m. PT on NCAA.com. The tournament will be comprised of 30 conference champions and 34 at-large selections.

2024 BIG SKY ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
D: Ava Samuelson, Montana
MF: Abi Hoffman, Portland State
F: Jadyn Hanks, Idaho
MF: Sara Rodgers, Idaho
D: Alyssa Peters, Idaho
GK: Paula Flores, Idaho
F: Teysha-Rey Spinney-Kuahuia, Sacramento State
MF: Ellie Farber, Sacramento State
D: Sydney Sharts, Sacramento State
D: Dalen Lau, Sacramento State
GK: Izzy Palmatier, Sacramento State
GK: Sierra Sonko, Sacramento State (MVP)