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MEDFORD, Ore. - The sixth-seeded Carroll College Women's Soccer team saw their 2026 season come to a close in heartbreaking fashion, falling 6-5 on Penalty Kicks to the third seed, Rocky Mountain College on Saturday afternoon in the CCC Championship Quarterfinals.

The Fighting Saints (7-4-7) gave it everything they had, but came up just short in their quest for a come-from-behind victory over the Battlin' Bears (11-1-5).

After trailing for nearly a full hour of game time, Rachel McAllister (Brier, Wash. / JR) provided the most exciting moment of the match, putting away a rebound goal with just over a minute remaining to knot the score up at 1-1.

Setting the stage for the dramatic late game goal, McAllister earned Carroll a corner kick opportunity following a shot attempt from 30 yards out that forced Rocky keeper Matea Vernon to make a leaping save.

With just 1:26 remaining in the match, Delaney Moczan (Las Vegas, Nev. / SR) played the corner into a crowd, but McAllister's initial header attempt would be blocked by a Bear defender. The rebound came straight back to Carroll's leading scorer, however, and the junior captain sent the Saints sideline into a frenzy, putting her second attempt into the back of the net.

The match featured even more late game drama, as a foul in the box with just seconds remaining would give Rocky's Gracie Clarkson a chance at ending things on the spot with a Penalty Kick in regulation, but Billings native Maria Ackerman made perhaps the most important save of her career to keep the Bears off the board and send the match to overtime

Ackerman came up with another two saves in the first overtime period, while neither team found a way to put a shot on net in the second overtime. Carroll's best chance came at the 103-minute mark, but Carmen Anderson's (Missoula, Mont. / JR) shot would sail high.

Still tied at 1-1 following 110 minutes of play, the match was decided in penalty kicks. The shootout was a lengthy one, with both sides missing opportunities to put away the winning goal. 

Carroll got shootout goals from Moczan, McAllister, Anderson, Gabrielle Lougen (Camas, Wash. / FR), and Erin Coulter (Colorado Springs, Colo. / FR) but the Bears would escape with the win, as Olivia Goddard's goal finally broke the deadlock and gave Rocky a 6-5 win to advance to the semifinals.

Rocky led the match with 21 total shots to Carroll's 12, but Maria Ackerman was outstanding all day. The multi-year All-Conference keeper piled up a season-high 11 saves in her final start as a Saint.

The Bears now advance to play No. 2-seed Southern Oregon on Monday at 1 p.m.