Pressly Stadium shook as Central Florida midfielder Hanna Wilde's penalty kick bounced off the crossbar.
The Gators barely survived Sunday's match against UCF, winning 4-3 on penalty kicks. With the victory, the Gators advance to the Sweet 16. UF will play at Southern California next Saturday night.
Officially, the match goes into the record books as a 0-0 tie in double overtime.
Despite dominating the majority of the match, it appeared that luck wasn't on UF's side. The Gators outshot the Knights 24-4 on the afternoon.
Every nifty cross into the box seemed to get cut off. Each favorable scoring opportunity seemed to ricochet off the side of the goal.
It was nothing less than a gritty victory for UF.
"I know this sounds cocky, but I always felt we were going to win, whether it was in regulation or in penalty kicks," UF coach Becky Burleigh said. "After we had our first penalty kick saved, I still felt confident."
Senior forward KeLeight Hudson sprained her right knee in the ninth minute and did not return to the game. She's scheduled for an MRI.
Burleigh placed the pressure of extending UF's season on the shoulders of freshman goalkeeper Meghan Berlingo, despite not playing the entire second half or overtimes.
"I think penalty kicks are really exciting," Berlingo said. "I really love taking them because I feel like, for a goalkeeper, if you don't save one, you're not expected to save one. When you do come up with a save, it's awesome."
UCF's Lauren Halbert scored the first penalty kick on Berlingo, putting the Gators in a 1-0 hole.
UF forward Megan Kerns finally got a ball past Jennifer Manis on UF's second penalty kick, tying the score at one.
Amanda Martorana took the Knights' second penalty kick, and it appeared Lady Luck smiled upon the Gators.
Matorana's kick bounced off the right post and gave uF a chance to take the lead. Defender Ashley Harris couldn't convert on her shot attempt, but luckily for the Gators, Berlingo was able to get a hand on UCF defender Sarah De Leon's shot attempt.
Defender Shelley Lyle broke through next for UF, giving the Gators a 2-1 lead.
Following scores by midfielder Daniela Sanchez and the Kinghts' Jessica Jackson to tie at 3, foward Ameera ABdullah gave the Gators a 4-3 edge.
WIth UF in need of one Berlingo save to clinch the victory, it appeared that Wilde's shot would evade the goalie. But the Gators got the bounce they needed.
"We're a team with a lot of seniors," Burleigh said. "They've seen everything before and played in different situations."
The Gators remain unbeaten in their last 14 games as they continue to push toward a national title.
"That's one down and four to go," Lyle said.
