MEDFORD, Ore. - It took 110 minutes - and then some - but the Carroll Men's Soccer team punched their ticket to the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championship match with a thrilling shootout victory following a 1-1 draw on Monday evening at Wheeler Field.

It might not have been exactly how they drew it up, but the Fighting Saints (13-2-3) found a way to gut out a 5-4 shootout win over the Cinderella Beacons to move one step closer towards the program's first CCC Tournament title.

"Playoff soccer is always a grind." said Head Coach Austin Shick "Bushnell are a tough 10-win opponent, and deserve a ton of credit for making it this far - taking out the top-seed says a lot about who they are as a program."

Following a 3-0 win over the Beacons just last weekend, the Saints appeared primed to walk away with another win on Monday, as they controlled the ball well and spent the majority of the opening frame in Bushnell's third.

Second Team All-CCC selection Felix Billard (Mallorca, Spain / JR) drew a penalty on the right side of the box in the 44th minute, and subsequently buried the ensuing penalty kick to give the Saints a 1-0 lead at the break after out-shooting the Beacons 8-3 in the frame.

Things seemed to be going fully in Carroll's favor in the second half as well, especially after the eighth-seeded Beacons went a man down in the 71st minute, with Javier Gutierrez being shown a red card.

Carroll couldn't find an insurance goal, however, and Bushnell made them pay.

Manuel Bleck de Silva matched Billard's first half score with a PK goal of his own in the 80th minute, and despite numerous Carroll advances the Saints would be unable to respond in regulation.

Still playing with a man advantage, the pitch was slanted heavily in favor of the Saints through both overtime frames. Carroll put up seven shots while the Beacons managed none, but the Saints simply couldn't find a way to break the 1-1 draw.

The match went to penalty kicks, with both programs owning a 1-0 record all-time in CCC tournament history shootouts. Bushnell entered with a bit of extra confidence, having knocked off the regular season champion Eastern Oregon in a shootout just two days ago, and managing to stretch the match while playing one down for nearly 40 full minutes.

"Our guys put in an absolute shift tonight. It wasn't a pretty game at times, but we found ways to be good in the moments that mattered. We emptied the tank, and when it came down to PK's, we had full confidence we'd see if through."

The first four players from each side put away their respective shots with relative ease.

Bushnell's Omar Barajas was the first to flinch, however, knocking his attempt off the left upright to open the door for a Carroll finisher.

Senior Adam Webster (Las Vegas, Nev.) was the man of the hour, stepping up and blasting his attempt into the top of the net to secure the win, and send the Saints to the CCC Championship match for the second-consecutive season.

"We're buzzing to be back in the final for the second-straight year. This group is deep, resilient, and determined - everything you want in a team fighting for a title."

"Overall, a massive performance and job well done."

The Saints will await the result of tonight's other semifinal, and will play either Warner Pacific or in-state rival Rocky Mountain College on Wednesday at 3 p.m. for the CCC Championship and the league's second automatic bid to the NAIA Championship.