For the second straight game, the Centre women's soccer team advanced on penalty kicks, this time getting past Aurora in an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 contest Saturday in Chicago, Ill.

After going eight rounds of penalty kicks to get past No. 25 Puget Sound on Sunday, the match with Aurora was decided by Centre converting all five kicks to Aurora's four. Each team made its first kick, but Aurora's Nicci Bermudes missed high and right on her team's second kick.

That miss would prove costly, as Centre converted all five kicks. Anne Mitchell (Fayetteville, Ark.), Shelby Ratcliff (Georgetown, Ky.), Destinie Graves (Lexington, Ky.), and Tori Dillard (Bowling Green, Ky.) made the first four. With Centre's first ever trip to the NCAA quarterfinal round on the line, Katie Stevenson (Flat Rock, N.C.) stepped up and converted the final kick.

"When Tori hit hers, I was thinking 'maybe (goalkeeper) Olivia (Alford) will save it and it'll be over," Stevenson joked. "But I've practiced them, and I've been there before."

In fact, Stevenson had been in that exact spot before, and converted the game-winning kick when Centre advanced past Roanoke in the NCAA Tournament in 2011. 

"Katie's freshman year, when we got to the round of 32 for the first time, she hit the game-winner," said head coach Jay Hoffman. "So it's come full circle. Hopefully, we're not done."

Though Centre triumphed in penalties, it took a late equalizer from Aurora to get to that point. Mitchell scored from distance on the right side early in the second half to put Centre up 1-0, and that goal looked like it would be enough for Centre to advance until Aurora's Loreli Ritzert headed in a Brittany Roydhouse corner in the 90th minute.

Aurora's equalizer came from a stretch in which Centre had to fend off two corners and a throw in from the Spartans in the final minute.

"It was kind of surreal, to think you're going to advance in regulation," said Hoffman. "All of a sudden they were throwing in and had the corner in the last 20 seconds of regulation. Long story short, we didn't do it the easy way, but we got it done."

For the game, Centre took 16 shots to Aurora's 16 and put 10 on frame to the Spartans' four. Centre also held a 9-5 edge on corners. Alford (Louisville, Ky.) made three saves for the Colonels while Rachael Warnock had eight stops for Aurora.

Centre advances to the national quarterfinal at 16-5-3 overall and on a nine-game unbeaten streak while Aurora wraps up the year at 19-3-2. The Colonels will meet Illinois Wesleyan, a 3-2 overtime winner over No. 16 Chicago in Saturday's other game at the site. Sunday's match is scheduled for 1 p.m. Central Time.

Illinois Wesleyan comes in to Sunday's contest at 17-6-1. Like Centre, the Titans were among the others receiving votes in the final regular season NSCAA Coaches Poll. 

"We'll relax, soak it all in, and regroup tomorrow morning," Hoffman said following Saturday's match. "There's not a lot you can do at this time. We can talk about some things Illinois Wesleyan does, but right now it's about getting these players the right nutrition, the right hydration, and getting them to believe we can win one more."