Elon Captures 2025 CAA Women’s Soccer Championship with Historic Finish in PKs

11/9/2025 5:25:18 PM

Dylan Smith

CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | BOX SCORE | HIGHLIGHTS | PHOTO GALLERY | VIDEO RECAP

STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Elon hoisted the 2025 CAA Women’s Soccer Championship in dramatic fashion after drawing in regulation, 1-1, and securing the crown with a 6-5 finish in penalty kicks. Sunday’s title game marked the league’s first championship contest in women’s soccer to finish in PKs.

With 10 saves logged in 110 minutes of action, Elon goalkeeper Katie Bisgrove was called on for the second consecutive match to make key stops in PKs en route to helping her team lift the conference title. The Ridgewood, N.J., native made a massive save on Stony Brook’s second shooter, Linn Beck, after Elon’s Gabby Hoschek rattled the pipe on the shot before. The two teams exchanged goals until Bisgrove dove to her right and stopped Stony Brook’s seventh-round attempt. Elon’s Abby Brinker lined up her shot and lasered home the game-winning strike to seal the game.

Bisgrove finished with 28 total saves in three postseason contests to garner the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, averaging 9.3 stops per game. Redshirt junior Isa Murdock landed on the All-Tournament Team after scoring the Phoenix’s lone goal of the contest in the 68^th minute.

The two teams patiently waited for their moment to strike through the opening 26 minutes of action. Stony Brook had the best chance of the half in the 27^th minute off a corner kick. The Seawolves saw the cross pinball around the 18-yard box before Abigail Roche soared into open space and put her flying knee shot attempt just over the crossbar.

Elon returned the favor just nine minutes later as the Phoenix’s Lauren McCauley and Hoschek fired back-to-back shots from prime scoring areas just nine seconds apart; however, the Seawolves’ Angelina Lent stood in front of both attempts and prevented them from being put on target to keep the game scoreless.

The Phoenix outshot Stony Brook, 7-3, through the first 45 minutes of action, but it was the Seawolves who secured the lone attempt on target in a scoreless opening frame.

Both teams came out firing on frame in the second half, logging three shots in the first seven minutes. Elon’s Murdock and McCauley put attempts on frame, while the Seawolves’ Abigail Roche fired a set piece into the palms of the Phoenix’s Katie Bisgrove.

Elon’s sophomore goalkeeper continued to be unfazed by the Seawolves’ chances over the next several minutes. Bisgrove stared down Kristina Garcia on a point-blank shot entering the 60^th minute before stonewalling Beck in close just 37 seconds later.

The Phoenix broke the scoreless tie in the 68^th minute on a set piece. Murdock broke in on the free kick from Ashlee Brehio, heading her attempt over the keeper’s mitts and into the back of the net for her seventh goal of the season. Brehio also joined Murdock on the All-Tournament Team with Grace Gelhaus.

As time started to dwindle, Stony Brook started to apply pressure in the offensive third. The Seawolves launched a late heave with under two minutes to play that proved to be vital in forcing overtime. Defender Sammy Hannwacker crossed a ball into the box and off the Phoenix’s defender, watching the ball sail into the back of the net for an own goal to tie the game at one with 1:50 left to play in regulation.

Neither team could find a golden goal in the overtime periods, sending the game into PKs for the second time in the CAA Women’s Soccer Championship. Elon earned the CAA crown with the contest ending in PKs, 6-5.

Elon will turn its attention to the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship as the conference’s automatic qualifier. The Phoenix will find out its opening-round opponent on Monday, Nov. 10, during the NCAA Selection Show at 4 p.m. on NCAA.com.

2025 CAA All-Tournament Team
Katie Bisgrove, Elon – Most Outstanding Player
Linn Beck, Stony Brook
Ashlee Brehio, Elon
Alyssa Chuderewicz, UNCW
Loren Gehret, Monmouth
Grace Gelhaus, Elon
Ashley Lavrich, Monmouth
Macy Lutz, UNCW
Isa Murdock, Elon
Reilly Rich, Stony Brook
Abigail Roche, Stony Brook

2025 CAA Women’s Soccer Championship
Thursday, Oct. 30
G1: No. 2 Stony Brook 2, No. 3 Hofstra 1 (OT)
G2: No. 3 Elon 1, No. 2 William & Mary 0

Sunday, Nov. 2
G3: No. 2 Stony Brook 1, No. 1 Monmouth 0
G4: No. 3 Elon 0, No. 1 UNCW 0 (Elon adv. on PKs, 6-5)

Sunday, Nov. 9
G5: No. 3 Elon 1, No. 2 Stony Brook 1 (Elon adv. on PKs, 6-5)

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