NASHVILLE, Tenn. (October 30, 2025) – The University of North Alabama women's soccer team opened the 2025 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship on Thursday night in Nashville, but fell to Jacksonville 4-3 in penalty kicks after a scoreless regulation in the ASUN Quarterfinal.

UNA ends the season with an 8-5-6 overall record and a 4-3-3 record in league play. Meanwhile, Jacksonville advances to face site host and top seeded Lipscomb in the semifinal round on Sunday.

Goalkeeper Madison Vukas was flawless through regulation and overtime, delivering a career-high 15 saves.

With her second stop of the night, she set the Division I single-season saves record with 98, surpassing Payton Yates' 97 from the 2021 season. Vukas now holds 111 for the season. 

North Alabama held the nation's No. 5 scoring offense scoreless through 110 minutes, marking its ninth shutout of the year.

Jacksonville (9-4-5, 6-1-3 ASUN) fired 29 shots, the most North Alabama has faced this season. Alongside Vukas' 15 saves, the defense blocked or cleared 14 more attempts.

This is the second-most shutouts for UNA during the Division I era, trailing only the historic 2023 season that had 13. It now surpasses the 2022 season that had eight and the 2018 season that had seven. 

North Alabama had two penalty kick opportunities during the season — both makes from sophomore Gizelle El Assal and captain Alice Bussey. 

UNA put up seven shots with five on target with two corners for the game. Bussey commanded three of those shots with two on target. Adelyn Speight and Olivia Heinert each had one on target while Gracie Tyrrell had two shots with one on goal. 

Lilly Ford, Avery Smith, Speight and Tyrrell combined to knock 14 of the Dolphins shots off-target, while Molly Parham and Avery Stojakovich antagonized the Jacksonville offense throughout the night. 

As the Lions took the field, smiles leapt off of each players' face as the ASUN Quarterfinal game got underway.

Jacksonville was the number five scoring team in the country heading into this one; they showed why as soon as the game started. 

In the 11th minute, the Dolphins had a touch inside the box off a corner kick that Vernsey and Vukas cleared out to keep the score clean. 

In the 15th minute, Bussey passed it over to a wide-open Tyrrell outside of the box. The shot split two Dolphins but slide right into the arms of the keeper for a save. 

Dolphins continued to push on the attack to stress the Lion defense, but the Lions had one final look before the half with a corner opportunity. Welsh lined it up and placed it in the box before it bounced out to an open Tyrrell, whose shot went high leaving the game scoreless through 45. 

The second half started much of the same, the Dolphins trying to go on the attack.

However, the Lion defense continued to hold before pushing it back into the feet of their offense. 

Like a spark, Owens had a breakaway lane with the ball at her feet before Frida Johansson took her out to be awarded a yellow card — a free kick ensued. Speight surged one straight at the goalkeeper that was cleaned up for the save. 

With 19 minutes remaining, the Dolphins were on the move again and back in the box. One lined up a shot and Ford denied that shot to bounce over to another JU teammate…then, a wide-open shot got blocked by Speight before being gobbled up by Vukas. 

But that did not stop Jacksonville as it sent another flying into the box with a speeding Dolphin. The attacker and Vukas collided as the ball bounced toward the line. Tyrrell came flying in from behind to sweep the ball out of bounds to clear the threat. Jacksonville's Olivia Peal came flying in for a loose ball in the box that she put towards the left side. Vukas sprawled out and gets just enough of it to punch it out. 

Then, the Lions went on the attack again. Smith threw it before receiving the ball back. She aired it out up to Olivia Heinert in the box. Heinert, one-on-one with a Dolphin, headed it in, but the keeper swallowed it up to deny the Lions. 

Then Owens had the ball up near the right side of the pitch before being tripped up by a Dolphin. She recollected and passed it over to Parham. The captain ran a circle around her defender before she passed it up to Bussey. She took the hard shot that went wide right off target.

It was back and forth into the waining minutes of the game before Owens corralled the ball again. She sent it in to the streaking Bussey, but Pia Bozic went out to collect. The two collided in air and the UNA captain was awarded the yellow card.

Who didn't want 20 extra minutes of this one?

Bussey continued her strong push as she received the pass from Sobotka. One-on-one with the defender, Bussey laced it, but Bozic deflected it off her shins to keep the game scoreless. 

Ten minutes came and went, leaving the game deadlocked heading into the final 10 minutes of overtime. The teams did not budge in the second 10 minutes of action — onto penalty kicks.

A brief intermission before both teams trotted back out.

First stood Vukas and Alicia Rey Perez — Rey Perez pinned it into the bottom right.

Now Bozic and Bussey — Bussey blasted it into the right side. Now 1-1. 

Vukas and Laura Di Mascio — Di Masico scored to take the advantage. Bozic and Gizelle El Assal — Bozic punched it out to hold. 

Paula Herranz hit another to the right of the net for the 3-1 advantage but Sobotka whistled one past the keeper to keep bring it back to within one. 

Claudia Perez Avila earned another on the right side to take the 4-2 lead. Speight then squeezed one between the left goal post and the keeper for the score to bring it to the fifth PK.

Peal readied herself before sending one to Vukas who left the ground in a diving attempt to knock it off frame — Lions down 4-3 with the opportunity to tie. 

Ford rose for the final chance. The junior had Bozic shaken but left it a little high off the crossbar to bounce out of play — Jacksonville advances. 

Six players saw the full 110 minutes of tonight's action in Vukas, Speight, Parham, Tyrrell, Ford and Smith. Bussey logged 91 minutes in her final game for the next highest on the team. A total of 18 girls saw the field in tonight's match with Nieroada having 66 out of the reserves.

 
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