HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Huntingdon College advanced to the Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) Championship after defeating regular-season conference champion Covenant College in a penalty shootout Saturday at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama. After 110 minutes of scoreless soccer, the Hawks came away with a 4-2 advantage in penalty kicks to secure their place in the conference championship match.

The semifinal matchup featured a strong defensive effort from both sides, as neither team could find the back of the net through regulation or two overtime periods. Covenant finished with 22 shots, including 13 on goal, while Huntingdon recorded 12 shots with six on target.

Goalkeeper Libby Williams played a major role in keeping the Hawks in contention throughout the match, finishing with 13 saves to earn the shutout. Her performance helped Huntingdon withstand Covenant's offensive pressure and send the game to a decisive penalty shootout.

In the shootout, Angelina Mazza opened the scoring for Huntingdon by converting her attempt. Lexie Segar and Irma Montiel followed with successful kicks to put the Hawks ahead after Libby Williams saved the second and third Covenant attempts, diving to her left for the first save and to her right for the second save. 

Huntingdon had an opportunity to close out the match and Shaylinn McFarland delivered, converting the decisive penalty kick to give Huntingdon a 4-2 shootout victory and send the Hawks to the CCS Championship.

The Hawks will now face No. 2 seed Belhaven in the conference championship on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 5 p.m. at the Loretta P. Spencer Complex. Belhaven also advanced to the title match through a penalty-kick victory in its semifinal, setting up a championship matchup between two teams that earned their places with shootout wins.