Conference

TURLOCK, Calif. – Sophomore forward Jessica Murphy converted the decisive penalty kick as No. 2 Cal State Dominguez Hills defeated No. 3 UC San Diego, 5-3, in a shootout on Friday at Warrior in Field in Turlock to advance to the title of the game of the 2009 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Women’s Soccer Championship.

The two teams played to a 1-1 tie after regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods.

The Toros (13-7-1) will play the winner of this afternoon’s Cal State L.A.-Chico State contest on Sunday beginning at 11:30 a.m.

UC San Diego (14-5-1) will now await the announcement of the 32-team NCAA Championship tournament field that will be announced on Monday.

Cal State Dominguez Hills will be making its sixth appearance in the championship match and second consecutive. The Toros will be in search of their third CCAA title and first since 2004 when they defeated Chico State 1-0 in overtime.

In the shootout, Paige Peel led off for Cal State Dominguez Hills and converted the kick. Anne Wethe opened for UC San Diego and her attempt sailed  high over the goal. Makenzie Pedrotti, Brooke Thompson and Karina Jahn followed for the Toros and all made their shots. Lisa Bradley, Sarah Bolton and Alyssa Newcomer all were good on their attempts to make it 4-3 after four rounds.

Murphy ended the shootout when she drilled a shot past UC San Diego goalkeeper Kristin Armstrong.

In a closely contested match, Cal State Dominguez Hills struck first when Peel scored on a free kick from 35 yards to give the Toros a 1-0 lead at 34:03. Peel’s shot from the center of the field bounced over the head of Armstrong, who came up on the ball leaving the goal open.

Freshman Jessica Wi tied the match as she scored off a deflection from inside the box at the 52:43 mark. Wi’s score came after consecutive shots by Shelby Wong that left Cal State Dominguez Hills goalkeeper Alyssa Congdon out of position, creating an opening.

UC San Diego held a 13-10 shot-advantage in the match, including a 3-1 edge in shots-on-goal. The Tritons totaled 6 corner kicks, while the Toros had two.

The contest marked the fifth time Cal State Dominguez Hills and UC San Diego met in the CCAA Championship and the Tritons hold a 3-2 advantage. Both of the Toros wins have come in the semifinals while San Diego defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills in the championship match in 2003, 2005 and 2008.