Top-seeded Utah State punched its ticket to the first-ever Pac-12 Tournament championship game on Wednesday by defeating the Gonzaga women’s soccer team in a penalty shootout during the semifinals.
A crowd of 1,216 at Chick and Gloria Bell Soccer Field watched the Bulldogs and the 20th-ranked Aggies (14-3-3) play through 110 scoreless minutes of regulation and overtime before reaching a dramatic conclusion.
The shootout proceeded into sudden death after each team successfully converted all five of their initial penalty attempts from the spot.
Following misses by both teams’ sixth shooters—resulting from a USU save and a shot striking the post—Gonzaga (9-9-2) failed to score on its next turn, allowing Victoria Espinoza to convert the winning penalty and send Utah State through to the championship game.
End of Regulation: Gonzaga 0, Utah State 0 – We're headed to overtime
Despite holding a 27-9 advantage in total shots and a 7-1 edge in shots on goal, the Aggies were kept at bay all evening by a resilient Zags defense.
The Bulldogs’ Amelia Severn and Samantha Snorsky took three shots each. The Zags had an 8-6 edge in corner kicks.
| Statistic | Gonzaga | Utah State |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 9 | 27 |
| Shots on Goal | 1 | 7 |
| Saves | 7 | 1 |
| Corner Kicks | 8 | 6 |
| Record | 9-9-2 | 14-3-3 |
The dramatic penalty shootout went to sudden death after a flawless opening five rounds from both squads. Gonzaga converted its first five attempts through players wearing numbers 14, 26, 10, 30, and 0. Utah State matched each strike with makes from numbers 26, 22, 14, 24, and 1.
In the sudden-death rounds, the sixth takers for both teams were unsuccessful following a Utah State save and a shot off the post. Gonzaga’s number 28 missed their subsequent attempt, leaving Utah State’s Victoria Espinoza to bury the decisive kick.
Utah State won the shootout 6-5 to secure its place in the tournament final.
The scoreless draw officially extended through regulation and 20 minutes of overtime under cold and clear weather conditions on November 11, 2026.
The victory moves Utah State forward in the postseason tournament bracket.
