EUGENE, Ore.| The No. 21-ranked Knights punched their ticket to the CCC Finals in dramatic fashion, as they advanced in a penalty kick shootout by a tally of 5-3.
 
The Knights took on the Raiders of Southern Oregon University in their semifinal matchup on Wednesday night. Southern Oregon was one of only two teams who didn't lose to Warner Pacific in the regular season. The last meeting between the two teams came  on Oct. 29, when the Knights and Raiders played to a 2-2 draw. 

The playoff sequel to their highly competitive regular season matchup couldn't be contained to two mere halves of regulation time. Nor could it be contained to two measly overtime periods. It only makes sense that given the matchup and stakes at hand that this game would go as far as it did before reaching its conclusion. 

Southern Oregon came out on the offensive to open up the game. The Raiders pressured the Knights with consistent shots for the majority of the first half, outshooting the Knights 5-1 in the first 30 minutes of play.  

The Knights flipped things around for the last few minutes of the first half, generating some offensive pressure of their own. At halftime, the shot totals had drawn even at five a piece, but the game remained tied at zero. 

Southern Oregon again accounted for the majority of the offense in the second half. The Raiders continued to threaten with scoring opportunities before being foiled by First-Team All-Conference goalkeeper Alexis Calderilla and the rest of the Knights defense. 

Warner got off a few shots of their own in the second half, but both teams ultimately remained scoreless by the end of regulation.  

The Knights asserted themselves offensively in the first overtime period, attempting three shots and two corner kicks, while Southern Oregon remained on the defensive the whole time. 

Despite the attempts from Warner, the Knights just couldn't find the back of the  net, which meant that it was time for a second overtime period.

The second overtime saw Southern Oregon again pressuring the Knights defense with two shots and two corner kicks. However, a save from Alexis Calderilla and solid defensive play from the Knights prevented Southern Oregon from taking the lead. 

The clock again hit zeroes, but one team had to advance. The tie meant that the game went to the first penalty kick shootout in the conference this year. 

Successful shots from Brendon Leach and Andrew Martinez gave the Knights a 2-1 advantage in penalty kicks. Southern Oregon looked to even things up on their second attempt, but Alexis
Calderilla had other plans, coming up with a huge save to keep the advantage with the Knights. Successful shots from Miguel Andalon-Ordaz, Matias Castano, and Erik Mattice closed out the matter and sealed the deal for the Knights to move on to the finals. 

With the thrilling advancement, the Knights set up a rematch of last year's Conference Championship when they take on Oregon Tech on Friday, Nov. 11 at 3:00pm.