EUREKA, IL – The Principia women's soccer team entered Saturday knowing a win would guarantee its place in the SLIAC Tournament. After finding an equalizer in the final minute of the first half, the floodgates opened for Principia after halftime as they pulled away for a 5-2 victory over Eureka to extend their season.

Playing without two key players due to academic commitments, the Panthers fell behind less than seven minutes into the match when Eureka opened the scoring. Principia dominated the chances from there, piling up 16 first-half shots and eight corners, but Eureka's goalkeeper repeatedly kept the Panthers out of the net.

With halftime looming and Principia still trailing, senior captain Kiara Smith finally broke through with just 25 seconds remaining in the half. The late equalizer changed the complexion of the match, sending the Panthers into the break level despite a frustrating opening 45 minutes.

Principia came out of halftime looking like a different team. Senior Sarah Smith converted a penalty kick just 3:21 into the second half to give the Panthers their first lead, then turned provider seven minutes later, setting up sophomore Stella Cathie to make it 3-1. Sarah struck again at 58:45 off an assist from Kiara, completing a three-goal burst in just over 10 minutes that put Principia firmly in control. The goals for Sarah are her first two of the season and marks the second brace of her career.

Rebeca Liborio added another memorable moment in the 77th minute, finding the net for the first time as a Panther to stretch the lead to 5-1. Eureka grabbed one back in the closing minutes, but by then Principia had done more than enough to secure the victory. The Panthers finished with a commanding 27-5 advantage in shots and put 14 attempts on goal. More importantly, the win moves Principia to 3-4-1 in SLIAC play and officially punches its ticket to the postseason.

The Panthers will play on the road in the SLIAC Quarterfinals on Saturday, October 31. The Panthers' opponent will be determined following Wednesday's remaining conference matches.