(POMONA, Calif.) PLNU Women's Soccer fought back to tie the West Regional championship and send it to overtime before Cal Poly Pomona ended Point Loma's quest for a second straight national title, 2-1, in overtime.
The top-seeded Broncos struck first in the 15th minute to take an early lead, before the second-seeded Sea Lions pressed forward in search of an equalizer.
Bethany Arabe drew a foul in a dangerous area just outside the box, with
Emma Thrapp's ensuing free kick going just inches over the crossbar.
CPP then took its 1-0 advantage into the break, before
Alana Diaz equalized just 2:13 into the second half to prolong PLNU's magical postseason run into overtime.
Diaz latched onto a through ball before dribbling past an onrushing goalkeeper and finishing into the side netting for her ninth goal of the season and sixth in the last seven matches.
That equalizing goal was the team's third such goal in its past four games after trailing at the half, as the Sea Lions displayed tremendous resilience once again following a halftime deficit.
From that point on, Point Loma looked likely to score a go-ahead goal, controlling the large majority of possession in the second half.
However, neither side conceded again in regulation and the game remained level going into overtime, where the Broncos eliminated the Sea Lions with a goal in the 96th minute.
Point Loma (17-3-1 overall) finishes the season tied with last year's national championship team for most wins in a single season in the program's NCAA era.
On its way to reaching a second consecutive NCAA West Regional championship, and third all-time, PLNU won a fifth PacWest title in six seasons and were crowned champions of the inaugural PacWest Tournament.
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
