Orangeburg, N.Y. - Embracing a role not typically associated with the Georgian Court University women's soccer program, the #8 Lions put the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference on notice Tuesday afternoon as the underdogs traveled to Dominican College, knocking off the top-seed Chargers in a thrilling quarterfinals shootout to open the 2021 CACC Championship Tournament.

After backing into the postseason last week and claiming the final tourney slot with a 5-6 conference mark, GCU (6-11-1) now advances to the CACC semifinals this Friday (1:30 p.m.) in Waterbury, Conn. as the Lions take on #4 Wilmington University. The Wildcats erased #5 Goldey-Beacom College, 3-1, to earn the final-four invite.

Georgian Court drew first blood in Tuesday's contest as a costly Dominican demerit set up a successful PK for Aliya Canfield at 31:06. The visitors would massage its slim 1-0 surplus until the 60th-minute (59:51) when the Chargers' Alissa Madura (Fr.-Warwick, N.Y.) sent in the equalizer.

The score would stay knotted at 1-1 for the remainder of regulation, and through a pair of 10-minute overtime stanzas, to set up the stomach-churning shootout session. With both squads netting four PK's apiece (one miss each), Maria Fleetwood, seeing her first action of the afternoon, casually connected for the biggest blast of the freshman's young collegiate career to put the Lions up by one.

Needing to find the back of the net to keep Dominican alive, the Chargers' Danai Chimedza (R-So., Atlanta, Ga.) sizzled a laser to the left side of the frame, an attempt that would catch nothing but the goalie gloves of a diving Alyssa Dias to end the contest ... and the DC season.

Dias was nothing short of sensational in the Lions' net, as the junior made nine saves (including a bevy of clutch denials) in the 110:00+ complete-game effort. 

Looking forward to Friday, GCU looks for redemption vs. Wilmington as the Wildcats blanked the Lions 4-0 back on Oct. 28 in Newark, Del.