BOCA RATON, Fla. – WKU and Arkansas State needed 110 minutes of play and a shootout to determine a winner in the quarterfinals of the 2009 Sun Belt Conference Tournament, and the sixth-seeded Red Wolves came out with the upset win over the third-seeded Lady Toppers.

The score was tied at 1 after two overtimes, and Arkansas State emerged from the shootout with four penalty-kicks scores compared to WKU’s two. The game is scored as ending in a tie, making WKU’s final 2009 record 14-4-2 and 9-2 in the Sun Belt Conference.

“It was a great soccer game tonight,” WKU head coach Jason Neidell said. “You have to give credit to Arkansas State. They battled really hard and their kids played a great game.

“It’s not the end for us. In some ways, it’s the beginning or the middle of the journey. These seniors have left a lasting legacy on our program, and we’re going to continue to build on it.”

WKU outshot Arkansas State 27-12 for the match, but had multiple scoring chances at the end of regulation get away. Kaylyn Pratt and Kellie Walker led the team with five shots apiece on the night.

The Red Wolves got on the score sheet first when an attempted corner kick rebounded off the WKU defense and was played back in to a waiting Michele Clark, who punched it in from 10 yards out. It was just the sixth time this season that the Lady Toppers have allowed the first goal in a match.

But the squad soon answered, taking advantage of an out-of-position Arkansas State goalkeeper to even the score at one in the 26th minute. Megan Meinke was on the receiving end of a cross that skated past the Red Wolves’ Susan Brown, and the senior from Leavenworth, Kan., knocked it home from 5 yards away. The scored remained tied at 1 heading into halftime. The Lady Toppers outshot Arkansas State 8-5 in the opening 45 minutes.

The possession battle in the second half belonged to WKU, as the Lady Toppers controlled the ball in Arkansas State territory for much of the half. But the Lady Toppers could not capitalize on a few one-on-one scoring chances near the goal at the end of regulation, and the game headed into overtime. The Lady Toppers held a 13-3 shot advantage in the second frame but had nothing to show for it on the scoreboard.

Each of the two 10-minute overtime sessions was hotly-contested, but neither team could break the 1-1 deadlock and the game went into a penalty-kick shootout to determine a winner. Each team selected five kickers to face the opposing goalkeeper one-on-one, with the team scoring more in the shootout earning the victory.

WKU’s Libby Stout started it off with a shot that hit off the right post, and Arkansas State’s first shooter answered with a goal. Ali Stahlke and Arkansas State’s Kara Nitti each made their kick in the second round to make the shootout 2-1 in favor of Arkansas State after two kicks. Kellie Walker made her kick, but it was answered by Arkansas State’s shooter to keep the Red Wolves on top of the shootout 3-2 after three rounds. WKU’s Chelsea Grover then saw her try saved by Arkansas State goalkeeper Susan Brown and the Red Wolves got a goal on their next shot to win the shootout, 4-2, and advance to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament semifinals to face second-seeded Denver.

The Lady Toppers’ conference tournament stay ends in the first round for the first time since 2006, one year after reaching the final game of the tournament.

The season ends with the Lady Toppers recording the second-most wins in program history and notching the most conference wins in a season.