BOX SCORE #13 UC San Diego 1, #7 Sonoma State 1 (UCSD wins in PK's, 4-2) -- Box Score

CARSON, Calif. -- Margi Osmundson kept the title hopes alive, scoring the equalizer with just 43 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, but after two scoreless extra periods, the match would be decided in penalty kicks.  However, 13th-ranked UC San Diego outscored seventh-ranked Sonoma State, 4-2, in PK's to capture the 2012 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship banner on Sunday afternoon at Toro Stadium in Carson. 

The Seawolves (16-2-2), who came into the weekend as the top-ranked team in the west region, will now await word on its NCAA postseason plans; the tournament field will be unveiled during a live selection show on NCAA.com Monday at 4:30 p.m.  To view the live selection show, click here.  The Tritons (14-2-3) win their eighth CCAA championship and earn the CCAA's automatic bid into the 48-team tournament.

The official result of the match goes down as a draw, therefore, SSU and UCSD tied in both meetings this season, the first a 0-0 deadlock back on Oct. 5 in Rohnert Park.  The Seawolves have yet to beat the Tritons in 18 all-time contests (0-15-3).

Reminiscent to the Oct. 5 game, Sonoma State dominated the offensive end of the field the entire afternoon.  The Seawolves outshot the Tritons 27-11, including 11-5 in the second half and 6-1 in the first overtime.  UCSD goalkeeper Kelcie Brodsky came up big, making nine saves.  SSU netminder Alexis Sciacqua made two saves on the day.

UC San Diego got on the scoreboard first, a mere 24 seconds after the restart.  Alexa Enlow played a short ball to Gabi Hernandez on the left side of the 18-yard box, and Hernandez, who accounted for the 87th-minute winner on Friday to put UCSD in the final, struck a right-footed blast into the upper netting at the far corner.  It was her seventh on the year, and Enlow's team-leading seventh assist.

Playing with despiration as time was ticking away, Osmundson put in a hopeful cross from the short right side that went over the head of three players, including Brodsky who appeared to be screened by the crowd in front of her, and found the back of the net for the 1-1 tie, forcing overtime.  However, neither team would find the golden goal in the 20 extra minutes, so the championship would be decided on a best-of-five penalty kick situation. 

UCSD's Casey Parisi and SSU's Gretel Amman would convert their first attempts to knot the competition at 1-1.  Hernandez kicked her shot past Sciacqua, but Alesha Laranjo would miss high.  In the third round, the Tritons' Cassie Callahan banged her shot off the crossbar, but with a chance to pull even in the PK score, JJ McFarlin's attempt was stopped by Brodsky to keep UCSD in the lead with a tally of 2-1. 

Both teams would make their next attempts -- Ellen Taylor (UCSD) and Osmundson (SSU) -- moving the Tritons just one make away from the win.  And that's what Hayley Johnson did, calmly slotting her kick into the lower left corner, putting the exclamation mark on the Tritons' first conference championship since 2008.

Cara Curtin, the CCAA's Newcomer of the Year, was kept out of the net despite attempting a match-high nine shots, almost outshooting the entire UCSD team; just one would be on target, however.  Osmundson, Elena Catania, Sara Studer and Amman each took three shots on Sunday as well.

Sonoma State is looking to make its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2000.  The team will find out Monday at 4:30 p.m. when the official announcement is made via a live selection show on NCAA.com.